The Raven Ensnared
by Cherry Rivers
Summary: The Dark Lord is keen to meet a certain Miss Rochester, of the Department of Mysteries. He wants her allegiance and she doesn't know what she wants. She has a history with Lucius Malfoy that refuses to be buried and Severus Snape is an old flame LMOC SSOC
1. Informant

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

Spoiler warning: may contain HBP spoilers

Lord Voldemort sat staring into the fire, mulling over his plans to draw Harry Potter to the Hall of Prophecy. Wondering whether Potter would fall for his latest enticement and come running to rescue his dear Godfather. He was sitting on one of the two luxurious green armchairs in an otherwise bare, small and undecorated room in his current HQ. He enjoyed its darkness (it had no windows) and simplicity and found that it provided him with the perfect atmosphere for contemplation.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Voldemort started up from his seat in annoyance and wrenched the door open with a flick of his wand. It crashed open to reveal an apprehensive Lucius Malfoy and a young man who was slumped on the floor at his feet, sobbing and looking decidedly worse for the wear. The back of his robes were grasped firmly in Lucius' fist, his head was bowed and his face was hidden behind a curtain of long brown hair.

"My Lord, please forgive the intrusion…"

"Who is this?" hissed Voldemort; his tone demanded an immediate, and good, explanation for this disturbance.

"I came across him by pure chance, My Lord. He works in the Department of Mysteries. I have seen him before, in the Ministry, of course, but today he crossed my path alone outside Ministry premises and I took the opportunity to capture him and bring him here."

This gained the Dark Lord's interest.

"Have you questioned him?" he asked.

"I have started to, My Lord, but when I discovered that he works in the Hall of Love…"

At this Voldemort darted forward, snatched the man and threw him to the floor. He then invaded his mind using Legilimency to make certain that this was true.

"What is your name?" he demanded.

"N- Nathan…Nathan Brookes." Replied the terrified heap on the floor, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Get up on your knees, boy!" hissed Lord Voldemort, his eyes alight with curiosity.

Nathan scrambled to do so, but could not look up at the wizard standing over him. He'd never felt fear like this… it was overpowering. He was surprised he could move at all. He had always been determined to die like a hero, if he ever got himself into a situation like this. But now he was here, it was actually happening; he was kneeling before you-know-who and about to be questioned and tortured, all thoughts of refusing to speak until death had evaporated. All he wished for now was a swift end with as little pain as possible.

"Look into my eyes, you coward!"

"My Lord, shall I leave you..?" asked Lucius, who was hovering in the doorway.

Voldemort looked up briefly from where he was crouching on the floor in front of the shivering boy.

"No. Come in and close the door."

As Lucius did so Lord Voldemort focused his attention back on Nathan, who found himself unable to raise his eyes from the floor.

"Look into my eyes!"

Nathan stayed motionless, staring at the floor, mute…

"_Crucio!_"

After the blinding pain had subsided Nathan found himself on his hands and knees, head on the floor, and quickly resumed kneeling and looked up into those pitiless, penetrating eyes, in order to avoid any more pain.

"Much better… Now tell me all you know about the Hall of Love."

"Well, I, uh…" Nathan paused to take a deep breath, amazed that he could talk at all. "I don't understand much about it really. You see, I'm only a… an assistant."

"Then tell me the name of the person you assist." Urged Voldemort, impatiently.

This was it, thought Nathan, decision time. To die as a hero or a coward? To keep the secrets of the Department of Mysteries, as he had sworn to do, or to betray the Department and his only colleague and friend? He knew from those eyes that He Who Must Not Be Named would extract the information whichever way he chose, so he chose to get it all over with quickly.

"Rochester, Karma Rochester."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Lucius and Voldemort stood so suddenly that Nathan jumped backwards. Voldemort's look of surprise and triumph turned swiftly to one of deep thought.

"Do you know where she lives?" he asked, just in case.

"No. I don't think anyone does."

"_Stupefy,_" Nathan collapsed backwards on the floor. "Lucius! Secure our guest Mr Brookes in one of the cells and return here immediately."

"Yes, My Lord."

As Lucius left with Nathan's limp form hovering in front of him Lord Voldemort resumed his seat and stared once more into the fire. This had been a most fortunate development in his quest to come to a greater understanding of the power he despises. The power that almost caused his downfall fourteen years ago. The power of love.

The Dark Lord is no fool. However much he would like to deny the strength of that power he is determined that it will not thwart him again. He is determined to leave nothing overlooked this time, in his second rise to power.

Lord Voldemort had thought the Rochester family to be extinct. He knew that they were an ancient, pureblood family, and remembered hearing something about the last of that line, a daughter, who had disappeared. Now he had found her out, he intended to find her and persuade (or force her) into his service. She would be invaluable.

Lucius came back through the door and closed it behind him. Voldemort gestured to the armchair opposite him and Lucius sat back and crossed his legs. He did not look Voldemort in the eye and looked quite uncomfortable.

"I can see you have something to tell me, Lucius," said Lord Voldemort, amused. "I could tell from your reaction that you knew of this… Miss Rochester."

"We…we were," Lucius sighed, impatient with himself, and then forced himself to look into Voldemort's inquiring eyes. "We were engaged, to be married. It was before Narcissa and I… She and Narcissa were friends you see, and, and then she disappeared."

"Did she give you any explanation?" questioned Voldemort, his eyes alight with interest, he had not known of any of this.

"No, well…" Lucius turned his head away and rubbed his forehead with his right hand, looking down at the wedding ring on the other as if the sight of it could strengthen his reserve. "She told me she'd got cold feet. She said she couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with me. She said that she wanted to be free, and live life her own way and do something worthwhile."

Lucius' voice remained calm and indifferent throughout this explanation, but Voldemort could tell that he was deeply affected by the news of his former fiancée's whereabouts. And he was. Lucius had long buried his passion for Karma. He had been obsessed with her, and had longed for the day she would be his bride. But that day had never come.

Voldemort considered him thoughtfully.

"I now know what will surely bring Harry to the Department of Mysteries. I will project a dream into his mind of me holding his dear Godfather Sirius captive in the Hall of Prophecy. He, with his foolish love of heroics, will come scurrying to help."

Voldemort surveyed Lucius once more before deciding.

"And you, Lucius, will be there to meet him. In reward for your initiative tonight I am giving you full command of the operation. I want you to take the prophecy from Potter, kill him and bring it back to me."

"Thank you, My Lord, it will be my pleasure," answered Lucius with a smile. "When shall this… _operation _take place?"

"Tomorrow night."


	2. Prophecies

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

Being a very important agent of the Department of Mysteries, the only one capable enough and with the skills for research work in the Hall of Love, Karma Rochester had an impressive and roomy office. Not that many people got to see it. All of the wall space was taken up by bookshelves packed with books, except for either side of the door, where two large glass cabinets stood. There were two types of book here; those that contained knowledge and speculation about the power of love and those that contained knowledge of old, and in some cases ancient, magic. The oldest books were preserved in the two cabinets.

Karma paced around and around her office-come-study, occasionally lowering herself into the chair behind her desk (the handsome centrepiece of the room, solid oak and carved to perfection), only to jump out of it and resume pacing seconds later.

She was worried. And anxious. And afraid.

Where was Nathan?

She sat down, she stood, she walked determinedly towards the door, hand outstretched. She stopped, she performed a pirouette of frustration, with her hands over her face… She slid down, her back against the door…

He had never missed a day's work as long as he'd been here.

Karma feared the worst. She did not believe the media. She was no fool, and she knew that if Dumbledore said the Dark Lord had returned, he meant it.

She knew Nathan well, they were good friends. He was a good man; honest and kind. But he was not capable of standing up to the Dark Lord. She knew that for certain.

And so… If he had indeed been captured…

Karma jumped to her feet, wrenched the door open, stepped out and pulled it closed behind her. She paused a moment to lean back on it, eyes closed, trying to make her decision.

Resolved, she strode purposefully down the dark stone corridor, heading for the Hall of Prophecy. If Lord Voldemort had found out about her, and her work, he would surely seek her out. She was determined to hear one particular prophecy before that happened. She had been biding her time, waiting for the right time to reach out and take it. She had considered asking the permission of the head of the Department to hear it once or twice, but was apprehensive, because she wasn't sure she wanted to know its contents.

No-one had ever mentioned it, it seemed particularly old and dusty when she found it all those years ago. She was sure it had been forgotten about, like so many of them.

Lost in thought, she was mildly surprised to find that her feet had carried her to the Hall with unexpected speed. The dark, shadowy cathedral-like room loomed all around her as she hurried to the spot she had visited many times, never before daring to take the dusty orb from its shelf. She made herself grab it quickly, with one short glance at the label that she knew off by heart. The initials of those the prophecy had been said by and to had faded away entirely but the names of who it was about were just legible.

'Dark Lord and Karma Rochester.'

She now held it in her hand. All she had to do was let it roll off her palm and smash on the floor, and she could hear it at last. She stood there stock still. The silence of the Hall closed in on her, and she knew she couldn't do it. Not in here… She walked slowly, riddled with indecision, to the musty old room just off the hall which contained the specialist boxes used to transport prophecies. She picked up one of these in her spare hand and headed back to her office. She would make her decision, she decided, once she was back in there.

Listen to it? Hide it away? Listen to it? Hide it away?

Lucius Malfoy slipped between two shelves of the dusty, glass orbs, the gang of death-eaters at his command following as silently as they could. His instructions were to keep watch out of sight until Harry had taken the prophecy off the shelf, and then to use any means necessary to retrieve it without it being smashed. They did not have to wait long…

Karma, whose office was a reasonable distance from the Hall of Prophecy, did not hear the shelves being smashed by Harry and his comrades, nor the torrent of noise caused by thousands of ghostly seers delivering their messages all at once. She had decided to keep the prophecy tucked away in its box and it was now in one of the draws in her desk. She sat down to try and complete some dull paperwork that she had been trying to work through that morning.

After the confusion of noise, dust and rubble and his ordering of where everyone was to go Lucius strode towards a corridor to his far right with Mulciber, passing the room where the boxes were stored. They hurried down the long bare, dark stone corridor till they came to another, equally bare and dark, which gave them a choice of left or right.

Left was the direction they needed, and after turning into the otherwise pitch black corridor in this direction, they could see a dim light being cast into it from a side passage a little way ahead on the right. They approached this phenomenon cautiously, and thrust their wands down the passage when they reached it. The light was issuing from around the sides of a door, and looked like ordinary room lighting.

"Go on ahead Mulciber, I shall be there shortly," whispered Lucius, held by curiosity and the possibility that he may be able to deliver another Department of Mysteries agent into the hands of Lord Voldemort.

Mulciber shrugged and left. Lucius advanced slowly towards the door.

"_Lumos_"

The wand light revealed a plaque on the door. The name inscribed upon the plaque caused Lucius to draw in a sharp breath, which he let out in a bitter hiss. It read; Miss K. R. Rochester.

Lucius extinguished his wand and took a moment to think. He should really get back to the others, the Dark Lord would be furious if he failed to retrieve the prophecy. But he could not leave this door now, could not leave the chance to see Karma, after all these years. His heart raced at the thought, something that didn't happen to him often nowadays.

She might not even be in there, he told himself. And even if she was, he knew she was a powerful witch. He knew he could not subdue her and kidnap her alone.

What if he burst in and stupefied her straight away? No, her reactions were too quick, if they were still the same as they used to be. And besides, he wanted to talk to her, to confront her, before Voldemort got his hands on her. This threw up huge doubts in his mind. Even if he were able to subdue her and get her out of here, COULD he hand her over to Voldemort? Throw her to Voldemort's so-called mercy? He may have had years of resentment at her for leaving without a trace, but when it came to Karma, Lucius seemed to be incapable of being cold-hearted and indifferent. Passionate, obsessive and even violent, yes, but not indifferent. He made up his mind…

Karma gave up on her work for the second time that day, and lowered her head onto the desk. It was then that she heard an unfamiliar sound. For a brief moment she frowned into her paperwork, before the realisation hit her that it was the sound of the door opening. She raised her eyes apprehensively, while still slumped on the desk, to find none other than Lucius Malfoy standing in her office doorway, wand pointing resolutely at her head, eyes cold.

He looked down at her peering up at him in astonishment with those big, brown eyes, brimming with sparkle and mystery. The long, wavy jet black hair half sprawled on the desk. She sat upright suddenly, stiff against the back of her chair, and now he could see properly the delicately defined high cheekbones and those full, shapely pink lips, that he knew so well.

Karma found herself unable to speak. Here was the man she had long since put behind her, who she had tried so hard to avoid. Although, she had several times written him long, confused letters of apology, thinking of ways to deliver them anonymously, before destroying them, impatient with herself.

She could see his eyes taking in her face with something like wonder, as if he was trying to convince himself that she was really there. Then he regained his composure and cold, sneering face, although she noticed his eyes flick to her chest, making the colour rise in her cheeks, before they focused back on her eyes. She finally found her voice.

"Lucius," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Starting to think properly for the first time since Lucius' entrance, Karma realised that he may well be here to kidnap her. She desperately concentrated on not taking a giveaway sideways glance at the draw which now contained the prophecy, and tried to inconspicuously to sneak her hands under the desk to her wand in her pocket.

"Don't move," hissed Lucius.

He advanced towards her round the desk until he could hold his wand against her head. He moved so that he was standing behind her and ordered her to put her arms behind the chair, which she did. He tied them with ropes from his wand which coiled themselves tightly around her slender wrists. He then pulled the chair back so that she was slightly apart from her desk.

"Where is your wand," demanded Lucius, his voice still a vicious whisper.

She nodded towards her right pocket, and after some fumbling he found it and shoved it on a shelf. Karma was now distinctly puzzled. Why was he tying her up? He could have stunned her and had her half way to Voldemort by now, or more likely all the way… She shuddered at the thought. His eyes were intense as he stood there, staring at her again. He put his wand back in the tip of his cane, satisfied that she was now relatively harmless.

She looked at the floor, the silence was agony. She willed him to say something, anything. She saw his feet walk towards her until he was directly in front of her. She looked up slowly into those piercing eyes just as he stooped down to look into hers, leaning firmly with his hands clasped on the arms of the chair. His face within an inch of her own.

Her breath quickened as his eyes moved down to her lips and back again to her eyes with some deliberation.

"So this is where you've hidden yourself," stated Lucius in his usual drawl, sending shivers down Karma's spine.

He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head away at the last minute, trying to remain emotionally detached (and failing miserably).

"How's Narcissa?" She asked, as cuttingly as she could.

He sat back on the desk with a small laugh at her resistance.

"She's fine. She believes that you're dead. She says you would have contacted her if you weren't."

That was it, he'd won outright in the cutting remark contest.

"I came here to shut myself away. To do something worthwhile. I've been busy, you know." She insisted.

"Yes, I do know, as does the Dark Lord…"

"NATHAN!" Exploded Karma, remembering. "It was him who told you. Is he… is he…"

"He is not dead. The Dark Lord has spared him for further questioning. And because he wants you on side. He's very interested in your work, you know."

Karma shuddered, but was relieved that Nathan was alive and well. Lucius meanwhile, seemed to realise something, and headed quickly towards the door.

"I must go. I shall return for you later," he announced from the doorway, and then left her to go and rejoin the others, worried that he had been too long.

Once out into the hallway he reflected on the meeting and decided that he was very pleased with himself. He had been in control from the moment he entered the office.

Karma sat staring at the door, stewing in a pot of mixed emotions and confusion.


	3. Kidnap

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

A few moments after Lucius' sudden departure, Karma realised that he must have come here on some other errand, and had happened across her office by chance. He had some other urgent business to deal with, and would come back for her later.

All at once Karma was determined that she wouldn't still be here when he returned. She was not going to give up so easily, even to Lucius. She concentrated hard on her wand, she could just about see where Lucius had put it on the bookshelf, and then did her best to call up from her throat an imitation of the haunting, beautiful notes that characterise Phoenix song. Her wand had a phoenix feather core and this was her favourite way of calling it to her.

The wand started at first to hum and vibrate but then hovered and swept over to her waiting hands while issuing those wonderful sounds in a harmonious duet with Karma. This piece of magic always brought tears to her eyes but now she concentrated on getting herself free. This was easy with wand in hand. She cast the ropes aside with a swipe of her wand and stood up with a quick fluidity that was her characteristic way of moving.

She hurried forward out of her office, intent on finding out what Lucius was up to. At the end of her short passage she used a magical-light tracing spell, which informed her that Lucius had gone right, in the direction of the Death Room.

By the time she reached it, Lucius and most of the other death eaters who had come with him were now held captive at the bottom of the tiered room, by means of Dumbledore's anti-disapparation charm. She peeked through one of the doors at the top of the tiers of stone seating and quickly surveyed the scene. Lucius had been caught and was with the others, all were under the beady eye of several people who Karma understood to be members of the elusive order of the phoenix.

Karma couldn't decide whether she was disappointed or relieved that Lucius had been caught. She immediately scolded herself for doubting over this. Anything which stopped the Dark Lord's plans was a good thing. She refused to address her doubts on this matter.

She decided, with a mischievous grin, to give him a special farewell before he was carted off to Azkaban. She gave her wand a twirl and a flick and a small pink butterfly, like a firework, flew out of the tip. She charmed it so that no-one but Lucius would be able to see it and sent it fluttering on its way, down to where he was standing.

Everything had gone wrong for Lucius, the Dark Lord would be furious with him, and he was certain to go to Azkaban. Although he knew the Dementors would not be there for long. As soon as he saw the butterfly he knew who it was from, Karma had used to do this when they were together. It was her favourite gesture of affection. It landed on his lips, spread and closed its wings once, and disappeared, leaving a slight, warm, tingling sensation.

His eyes found her through the partly-open door and he mouthed 'help me'. He knew she could get him out, if she wanted to. He saw her grin and shake her finger at him. She sent a silver whisper to him, which spoke in his ear:

"No Lucius. You've been a naughty boy, and now you must go to Azkaban."

This stirred within him something that had lain dormant and cold for too long. He stared hard at Karma, who was very familiar with that look. It was full of need and lust and for a moment she nearly gave in and freed him. But then she regained her composure, blew him a kiss and firmly shut the door. Disappointed, but now with a sense of purpose, Lucius kept staring at the place where Karma had stood. He reluctantly looked away, realising his hope that she would return was in vain. He was now determined to break out of Azkaban, which he thought would be easy once the Dementors were removed, and seek her out once more. He would not allow her to slip away from him again.

Karma decided to leave for home. She stepped out of the lift into the atrium, and was confronted with the sight of Lord Voldemort and Dumbledore squaring off, Voldemort with a large shining silver shield, and Harry Potter being shunted about by the headless form of the wizard from the now deserted fountain of magical brethren.

Coming to her senses, Karma apparated to behind the security desk and crouched there, stealing occasional glances at what was going on. She nearly gave herself away when the security desk exploded into flames above her head, but just managed not to scream. When she heard Harry speaking strangely she silently extinguished the flames (Dumbledore did not notice, he was intent on Harry) and peered cautiously at the scene.

It was immediately clear to her that Harry was being possessed. She leapt up and was about to try an ancient, powerful anti-possession chant (she had read of the horrors of possession, and would try and free anyone from it), but before she started Voldemort had left Harry.

The next few seconds happened in a blur. Voldemort reappeared in bodily form and glanced around, seeing where Bellatrix Lestrange lay trapped. He then locked eyes with Karma who felt a thrill of fear. At that exact moment ministry people started appearing all around. Voldemort appeared and disappeared, taking Bellatrix with him. Before Karma could even start to feel relieved, she felt a cold, spidery hand grab her round the mouth and an arm locked tightly round her waist and in a whirl she found herself in a small, dark bare room, with firelight dancing on the walls…


	4. Control

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

If you feel uncomfortable with the idea of Lord Voldemort having his own dark desires then look away now. Just to warn anyone who doesn't like it.

Oh, and by the way; hello! I'm new to writing fanfiction. Sorry I haven't said anything yet but I've been rather absorbed in this story! Feel free to review and I'll try to take comments into consideration.

Karma was in shock. Why was all this suddenly happening at once, today? Voldemort took his hand off her face and she felt his arm drop from her waist. He stepped silently from behind her and came round to stand facing her.

She looked up into his eyes. They were penetrating, inquiring, and staring intently into her own.

"Welcome," he started, with a slight smile. "To my… hideaway I suppose you might call it."

"Thank you," breathed Karma, before she could stop herself.

She had absolutely no idea why she said it. Voldemort looked surprised and pleased.

"Please, sit down."

She did so as he took the opposite chair. Miss Rochester intrigued him greatly. He had expected her to be either fiercely against him or utterly afraid, but the witch now sitting opposite him seemed only quite subdued and in shock. It did not pass his notice that she was a great pure-blood beauty. She had very fine features and a seemingly graceful manner, the result of a wealthy, noble background. However, he could also sense that there was more to her than this initial impression.

He smiled inwardly; this…association might prove quite entertaining.

Karma's shock was receding and being replaced by panic. She fought to stay calm and told herself; you can do this, you're a powerful witch with brains, just keep calm and think. Suddenly it came to her, and she knew what to do to stop herself being useful to Voldemort.

"Miss Rochester," she closed her eyes for a moment and then re-opened them to look at him. They know blazed with cool determination. "You know, I presume, why you are here?"

"You want my knowledge on love," she stated shortly.

"Yes," said he, eyes glittering in the firelight. "And now the question I must ask you is…"

He stood up quickly and stooped over her, making her gasp with apprehension. He looked at her strangely for a moment, and then gently took her left hand with one of his own. With the other he pulled up her sleeve and then took out his wand. She kept her eyes on it warily and he glanced approvingly at her reaction.

"…will you serve me willingly…"

He stroked her exposed forearm with his wand.

"…or will you not."

She wrenched her arm away and stood up, fuming. Trying to ignore the fact that he had not moved back and she was now rather too close for comfort, with the chair against the back of her legs threatening to make her fall back in it.

"I will never be one of your death eaters! NEVER!" She shouted into his terrifyingly placid face.

After her outburst he smiled chillingly and his eyes glittered dangerously.

"And do you also refuse to cooperate with me? Work with me, you could say? There is much I need to know, and it will be much easier for both of us if we dispense with the dramatics."

She now looked as unsure as she did before, and he realised that the only thing she seemed to be sure about was that she did not want to be under anyone's control. She was an individual, like him. The difference being that he liked always to have control over those he dealt with.

"Well?"

She could find no other inclinations within herself to resist. She nodded slightly and sank back into her chair. Voldemort's eyes gleamed, triumphant, but he was not satisfied.

"I need to hear you say it, Karma."

The sound of her name being spoken in his voice was surreal, and oddly compelling.

"I will cooperate, um…" and here she was genuinely at a loss as to what to call him.

He was highly amused.

"'My Lord' will do," he suggested with a smile, knowing this would incense her.

He was right. She leapt up to attack him with a swiping motion of her hand (a particularly nasty piece of wandless magic that she had learnt from Narcissa), but he was too quick. He grabbed her wrist before she could complete the motion and flung her to her knees on the hearth.

"Very well," said Voldemort, standing over her. "If you insist on defying me I shall first have to ask you to hand over your wand."

Karma was furious with herself for losing her temper. She looked at Voldemort's outstretched hand and then up at his face.

"I am prepared to work with you, if you insist on it, but I am not prepared to accept you having any authority over me. I will not call you 'My Lord' because you are not. Nobody is."

She said this coolly and in a strong, unwavering voice but knew immediately afterwards that she had gone too far. Voldemort swept down, seized the back of her hair with one hand and held his wand to her elegant neck with the other.

"You are not in a position to dictate the terms of our relationship, Miss Rochester. In future please remember to be more careful, I may not be so merciful next time you let your pretty mouth run away with you."

She watched, half horrified, half aroused as he drew the tip of his wand over her lips. He the came to his senses and pointed it under her chin again.

"It seems that I need to teach you…" he leaned in still closer, she shivered. "…a little respect."

She shook her head earnestly.

"I…I assure you that is not necessary…" she stammered, lost in the intensity of his eyes.

"I disagree."

She was rooted to he spot, shocked that Voldemort was able to feel… what he was obviously feeling now. Desire. She, Karma, had caused the Dark Lord to desire her. Needless to say she was in no way proud of this achievement, and was quite terrified.

Voldemort leaned and whispered in her ear.

"Just do exactly as I say, and I may decide to treat you as a servant, rather than a slave."

Karma shuddered and knew this was a matter of whether or not she would be allowed to keep her wand, and her dignity. He released her and stood.

"Kiss the hem of my robes."

She hesitated, but did so, feeling horribly humbled, as was of course his intention.

"Very good," he said mockingly, eyes shining. "Now stand up…"

She did so, slowly.

"…and kiss me."

She couldn't believe her ears, but she could tell he meant it. His mocking smile told her he was enjoying her extreme discomfort. Pull yourself together girl, she scolded herself. You could be writhing on the floor in agony, you should be thankful. Just pretend it's Lucius and get it over with. The fact that she had just admitted to herself that she would like to be kissing Lucius made her feel even worse.

After a deep breath, which caused Voldemort to look even more amused, she kissed him lightly on the cheek without looking at his eyes. The soft touch of her lips on his face doubled his desire and he nearly lost control. Karma could see it in his eyes after she had quickly pulled away, and was afraid.

"I'm afraid that won't do, Karma," he whispered, menacingly. "I want you to kiss me on the lips, and look into my eyes."

Karma steeled herself once more, and, having to go on tiptoes again to reach, pressed her lips to his while looking steadily into his eyes the whole time, a truly terrifying (but thrilling) experience. She went to pull away quickly but he grasped her head in his hands and kissed back; not teasingly or passionately like Lucius, but roughly and cruelly. This was a gesture of control, not affection. She shrieked and jerked away when he bit painfully into her lip. His face was full of vindictive pleasure and triumph.

She had had enough. She began reciting the long incantation she needed in her head as Voldemort started to advance towards her. She backed round the chair he had been sitting in earlier, desperately trying to concentrate on the incantation as he drew his wand from his robes…

She finished it just in time, whipped out her wand and jabbed it under her chin. A flash of pale blue light darted from her wand tip straight into her head and she immediately collapsed to the floor.

Voldemort swept over to her limp form. He had no idea what she had done. Had she killed herself? No, she was breathing soundly, as if asleep.

"_Enervate_"

The revival spell had no effect.


	5. Kiss

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

Sorry for the wait, I wanted to make sure I gave this chapter the right mood. I've decided to write Snape as mysterious, brooding and a little sinister. If you think I should make him more human just say. Of course we will only find out in the last book what he's really made of!

Oh, and never fear! Lucius will return soon! I emphasise here that this is a Lucius fic, and this chapter will probably be the only one in this story with Severus action (see note in next chapter).

Voldemort paced in the firelight. It had been a week since Karma had cursed herself into her current listless existence. He had tried everything he could think of to revive her from it but nothing had had the slightest effect. Her motionless form lying on the stone table he had conjured up seemed to mock him, and he was determined that she would not win in this challenge of his power.

He had contacted Severus a couple of days ago to ask him to come here when he next had the opportunity, to see if he could think of a solution. There was now a soft tap on the door.

"Enter."

Severus came in and shut the door softly behind him.

"You summoned me, My Lord?"

He caught sight of Karma on the table. Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and regular, her skin even paler than usual. He did not react as obviously as Lucius, but looked at her sleeping form with curiosity and walked around the table to look down at her face.

"I managed to… acquire her a week ago," stated Voldemort.

He briefly explained to Snape how she had come to be here. He listened, apparently emotionless.

"Do you know what she has done to herself?"

"I do," drawled Snape, lifting her eyelids and examining her eyes.

"Well?" Insisted Voldemort, impatiently.

"She called it the Sleeping Beauty curse," he explained. "She found it in a book in the restricted section of the library at Hogwarts."

"Ah, I see," said Voldemort. "And so to lift the curse you simply have to…"

"Kiss her, yes. But you have to kiss her as if you're in love with her, otherwise it won't work," finished Snape, still emotionless.

"Please revive her for me Severus, I need her knowledge. At the moment she is useless. Her mind is closed, she does not even dream. I have to admit, it is a powerful piece of magic."

His eyes shone at the thought of her potential as his servant. She would be an invaluable addition to his ranks. Snape hesitated.

"Revive her, Severus." He repeated, with a hint of warning.

The first thing Karma took note of as she re-awakened from the curse was that she was lying on cold, hard stone, and she hoped desperately that she was not in a crypt. That was the danger of the Sleeping Beauty curse; years could pass by while you were under it, and you could even die without waking up if no-one ever revived you.

The second thing she noticed was the lips that were pressed gently and tenderly to hers. She could tell they were not Voldemort's, thank heaven, and this gave her a small feeling of triumph that he had not figured out how to break the curse. The lips were, however, nigglingly familiar.

She opened her eyes and found herself looking up into the bottomless black ones of Severus Snape. Memories of their fling at Hogwarts came flooding back to her as he raised himself back into a standing position. She did not see Voldemort standing on the other side of her as she swung herself into a sitting position in front of Snape, whose face gave away nothing.

"So Sevyrus," she said, in the same half-innocent, half-enticing way she used to. "You've come to rescue me?"

She observed, to her satisfaction, that he had grown taller and more solid than the awkward, greasy teenager she remembered him as. His hair was still greasy, but he had acquired a look of cool, controlled power that she was instantly attracted to. She was very impressed and found herself blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl. Snape remained unmoved, and looked pointedly over her shoulder. She slid down off the table, frowning, and turned to see Lord Voldemort, once again looking highly amused.

She stared at him in disbelief, and then turned back to Snape.

"You didn't?" She said, although she had always known Severus was death-eater material.

He nodded once and showed her his tattoo. She swayed dangerously, the effects of the curse having not completely warn off yet, and Severus caught her and lifted her easily back onto the table. She hugged her knees and pressed her forehead against them, trying to clear her head.

"Where is my wand?" She demanded suddenly, lifting her head abruptly to look intently at Voldemort.

He drew the wand from inside his robes and twirled it through his fingers while looking expectantly at her, to see what she would do to get it back.

"May I please have it back…?" she hesitated. "My Lord?"

His eyes sparkled with triumph once more and he handed it back to her. She took it and stared determinedly at her knees.

"A word outside, if you please Severus," requested Voldemort as he swept out of the room.

Severus shut the door behind him and used the _mufliato _spell to make sure that Karma would not be able to hear.

"Are you able to be away from Hogwarts for the whole weekend?" Asked Voldemort.

"Yes."

"Tell me, how exactly did you know her?" Inquired Voldemort.

"I knew her at Hogwarts. We were…" he hesitated, and smiled slightly. "…teenage sweethearts."

"Perfect. Then you may perhaps be able to persuade her…?" He suggested.

"I will try my best, My Lord," replied Snape with another, slight, smile.

"Good. I have other business to attend to." Voldemort said shortly and started to walk away.

"My Lord. May I…"

"Do whatever you must," said Voldemort, pausing briefly. "But if she disappears on your watch, there will be serious consequences."

"Yes, My Lord."

Snape re-entered the little room, closed the door and turned to find Karma still sitting on the table. She looked up as she heard the door shut.

"Is he gone?" She whispered.

When he nodded her eyes lit up and a small smirk danced on her face.

"How long have we got?" She asked, eyes shining.

"All weekend." Snape replied, with a glint in his eye that she couldn't quite place.

"Has _His Lordship _given you the task of convincing me to join the dark side?" She said mockingly.

When Snape didn't respond she swung her legs over the side, parted them slightly and leaned back on to her palms. Her hair slid seductively back over her shoulders.

"Well then, why don't you come over here..."

She leaned back a little further. He took three slow paces towards her until he stood over her. Close but not close enough. His eyes never left hers, but they were unfathomable. She kept hers wide, sparkling and inviting.

"…and try and persuade me?"

She raised her hand to toy with the front of his robes but he grabbed her wrist in mid air. She felt the shock of a man's strength in his grip, and realised that he _was_ a man now, and this man was not going to be fooled by petty attempts at seduction.

"I can read you like a book, Roxanne," drawled Snape, slowly.

Karma shivered at his use of her middle name. He had always used it at Hogwarts, in private.

"And I assure you I will not be _used _as a mere escape route," he said, eyes glinting dangerously as he threw aside her arm.

"Well, it was worth a try," sighed Karma, with a genuine smile this time. "And you have grown up to be hideously attractive."

He raised his eyebrows and she giggled.

"I can tell you're a teacher!" she giggled. "You've perfected the 'You've been a naughty girl' look!"

He shot her a warning look which only made her giggle some more.

"Don't look at me like that! You may have refined the art of self control but I have very little and I have had no fun for absolutely ages. Now tell me, we are alone, yes?"

"Yes."

"Unlikely to be disturbed?"

"Yes."

"The door is locked?"

He turned and locked it. "Yes."

She looked up at him with a sudden longing, and could see in his face that he was not wholly unaffected by her big, brown eyes and promising position beneath him. Her face broke into a mischievous smirk and she was satisfied to see it mirrored in a slight curl of his lips.

"Then why don't we both stop resisting, and let the past repeat itself?" she whispered.

Snape's control snapped and he swept down on Karma, kissing her roughly and firmly. He held the back of her head sturdily with one hand while the other made a rough, passionate trail up her leg and under her robes to her inner thigh. She squealed into his mouth when his cold fingers slipped underneath the lacy black fabric of her knickers. He withdrew his hand and tasted the fingertips, one by one, slowly, deliberately, looking steadily into Karma's eyes all the time.

Karma was now excessively turned on and made to jump forward and fling her arms round his neck. He caught her by the arms and threw her to the floor. She landed on her hands and knees. He kicked her over onto her back with his foot. With a sweep of his wand she was naked. Her wand rolled away under an armchair, his robes and under things were cast on top of it a moment later. In a fraction of a second his face was millimetres from her own.

Karma was in slight shock, she had forgotten how brutal he could be, but Snape gave her no time to recover. His eyes were hard and cold, as always, but also fiercely intense. She whimpered. The intensity grew. He slid one hand into her hair and grasped it cruelly in his fist, forcing her head backwards. She gasped and her heartbeat tripled. He started off slow, and with every desperate moan that escaped her lips he quickened the pace. He surveyed her arched form below him and enjoyed the control he had over her. He knew how to give pleasure and she was intoxicated. She thought guiltily of Lucius and shut her eyes at the climax, which she knew would infuriate Severus.

He stood suddenly in anger, breathing heavily from exertion, and grabbed his wand from the armchair.

"_Stupefy_!"

The force of the spell threw her head back and it collided nastily with the floor.


	6. Caged

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

Apologies! I've been away for a couple of weeks, and I'm afraid this one will probably be quite short. The reason being that I'm going to wait until after I've read the last book (I can't believe the time has actually come for it all to end!) to continue this, as then I should know for certain where I'm going to go with it.

Oh, and a very big thank you to hxcPANIClvr! My first ever reviewer! Woo yeah!

(Please read my new note at the end of this chapter before exiting)

Snape stared down at Karma, already cursing himself for losing control. He replaced both his and her clothes and repaired all damage to her head, deciding to let her wake up naturally. He doubted that the after-effects of her curse had completely worn off and he knew that she would be furious with him for taking advantage of her. She began to stir. He held up his wand as a precaution.

Karma opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. She glanced to the side and saw her wand under the armchair before raising herself slowly to a sitting position. She glared up at Snape, who was cautiously pointing his wand at her. Her head was so very clear now, and she realised fully that she had been taken advantage of.

"I've had enough of YOU, I've had enough of Voldemort and I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PLACE!" she screamed suddenly.

She snatched her wand from under the chair and made to jump to her feet.

"_Expelliarmus_," came Snape's voice, quick and quiet.

He caught her wand out of the air as she was sent sprawling to the floor again. He slid her wand into an inside pocket of his robes.

"Get up," he ordered, in a dangerously calm voice.

He paced forward slowly, causing her to back up against the wall. She opened her mouth and he leapt forward and pressed the tip of his wand to her neck.

"I advise you not to start singing in front of me today, I'm not in the mood," he said, glaring down at her.

Her fury was now partly replaced by genuine fear. How on earth was she supposed to escape Severus? He was one of the few people in the world well acquainted with her and her magic. She decided to keep him talking while her mind raced for a solution.

"I hate being caged up here like an animal!" She snarled, but her eyes gave away her fear.

"Caged up like a bird, you mean? A raven, perhaps?" He hissed.

All thoughts of escape vanished. She had forgotten! Snape knew! He knew who she was!

"Have you told him?" She whispered, desperately.

Snape's mouth curled into a cruel smile.

"HAVE YOU TOLD HIM?!!" She shrieked, grasping him by the front of his robes and shaking him.

He calmly removed her hands from his robes and positioned his wand firmly under her chin. She held her head back and looked him fearfully in the eye.

"I have not."

She smiled in relief but he stopped her by increasing the pressure of his wand in her neck. She gulped and tried not to gag.

"However, should you try to give me the slip, I will tell him everything."

With this announcement he stepped back, leaving Karma frustrated, scared, and rubbing her neck. Her resolve, however, swiftly returned.

"And?" She asked.

He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So what? If I get away, I'll make sure no-one will ever find me again!" She said defiantly.

"If Voldemort finds out who you are, he will be even more interested in having you under his command. You know he would find you in the end. And besides…"

He took a step towards her and she stood her ground.

"…you know you have to choose a side eventually."

"And whose side are you on?"

He evidently had not expected her to ask this. He avoided her eyes and retreated to lean against the stone table.

"Oh, I see! You're playing double-agent aren't you?!"

He flashed her a warning look and she smiled triumphantly.

"And I don't suppose you're going to tell me whose side you're really on?"

She knew the answer already and he didn't bother to reply.

"Give me my wand," she demanded.

"Are you still angry with me?" He asked, emotionless once more.

"Furious," she replied, trying to mimic his lack of emotion. "Now give me my wand back."

Still he hesitated.

"Look, if you can't trust me, how am I supposed to be persuaded into joining the cause?" She asked, mockingly.

He finally handed it over.

"_STUPEFY!_"

Snape was blasted over the table and his wand flew into the corner.

"_Alohomora_."

The locked clicked and the door swung open silently. Karma was faced with a short stone corridor with no doors. To her right was a nasty-looking rusty metal gate which went from floor to ceiling and which reeked of dark magic.

Deciding to examine the gate as a last resort, Karma proceeded to feel the air and the walls of the corridor. The air changed subtly in the area at the very end of the corridor. Everywhere else she had felt the strong influence of an anti-disapparation charm, but here the charm was different, more complex. There seemed to be a particular criteria for those allowed to apparate here. Of course! You have to either be Voldemort or have the Dark Mark tattoo.

Karma, thinking quickly, strode back to Snape's limp form, which was lying crumpled between the table and the wall.

"_Enervate! Imperius!_"

She hated using unforgivable curses, but this situation called for desperate measures. It was only Snape's half-awake state at being revived that allowed Karma to get a hold over him, and then it took all her might and willpower to enforce her will over him. She made him walk down the corridor to the right spot, and then she forced him to side-along apparate her to the public entrance of the Ministry of Magic.

"_Stupefy_," gasped Karma, exhausted from the effort of controlling him.

Before he could recover from the curse, he fell unconscious again. She stepped in the phone box and shut the door behind her, leaving Snape collapsed on the pavement.

"Karma Rochester, Agent of the Department of Mysteries," she replied to the woman's voice. When asked the reason for her visit, she said; "I need to collect something."

**New note**: From looking at my stats I see that for some reason or other I lose over half of the readers after this chapter. If you're impatient for some Lucius action at this point, I can now inform you that there is some delicious Lucius smut coming up in the chapters named 'Lucius' and 'Lust', as you might guess! I promise you its worth the wait! So, _please_, stick with me here! (If you have any other issues with this story that you think I might be able to do something about, _please_ tell me!)

P.S. If you were put off by the Snape stuff, don't worry. This is most definitely a Lucius fic. There will be very little, if any Snape in the future (unless someone requests a bit more, of course! If so I'm afraid it will have to be a _very_ little)

P.P.S. If you're a Severus-lover, though, or in particular a young-Severus lover, I am contemplating doing a prequel to this when I've finished about Karma's years at Hogwarts, which would DEFINITELY have LOTS of Severus action!

Many thanks!

Cherry


	7. Fate

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

Hello everyone! I'm very sorry for the wait! I have figured out how to make this work in line with the last book, so the show will go on!

Many thanks to the reviewers! And, calling all Lucius lovers, if you have not done so already go and read Living with Lucius by godessbloodrose!

Karma raced down to the Department of Mysteries, and was immensely comforted to be back in her own domain. She knew, however, that she would no longer be safe here. It was the first place Voldemort would look for her.

She hurried to her office. Once inside, she made a beeline for the prophecy. She took it carefully out of its box and lowered herself slowly into her chair.

The time was now, she decided, and with that she hurled the orb at the door in front of her. It promptly smashed and the ghostly figure of a drunken and dishevelled middle-aged man unfurled from the floor, and spoke in a slurred Northern accent.

"_The Dark Lord's second chance will be his last. He must succeed then or fall forever. If he fails to realise and correct his mistakes, he will fall forever. The Dark Lord will only succeed if he is whole…"_

The man's head drooped forward at this point. Was that it? Why was her name on the label, if she wasn't even mentioned? The man looked up suddenly, and seemed to stare straight into Karma's eyes.

"_The Dark Lord will only succeed with the help of the last daughter of Ravenclaw."_

Ok. That's why, thought Karma. All the more reason to go into permanent hiding.

The memories of her recent experiences came rushing back to her. Could she really abandon Nathan? Some part of her told her to give up, he was probably already dead, but most of her thought he wasn't. And then there was Snape, who she was still very fond of, and who was now in severe danger from Voldemort's wrath, because of her own actions. And what of Lucius? She immediately stopped herself thinking about him; a time-hardened defence mechanism.

And for the rest of it, she was admittedly bored of solitude. The mischievousness in her nature yearned for this chance to play risky and keep in the thick of things for once instead of hiding away from the world. Fate had given her a new part to play, and this time she would not run from it.

All at once she could see the game stretched out before her, all she needed was a strategy. And an ultimate goal, she realised.

She frowned and decided that she would, for the moment, take things one step at a time. Firstly, she thought over the prophecy. What didn't she understand?

"_The Dark Lord's second chance will be his last."_

Obvious enough.

"_He must succeed then or fall forever."_

Again obvious.

"_If he fails to realise and correct his mistakes, he will fall forever."_

Not so obvious. Karma knew that these mistakes were probably something to do with her own area of expertise, but she knew only of one; Voldemort's failure to foresee the protection Harry Potter received from his mother. She was very intrigued as to what other mistakes he may have made.

"_The Dark Lord will only succeed if he is whole."_

Karma realised instantly what this must mean. Horcruxes. Voldemort must have made horcruxes. It made sense, and explained his distorted appearance before and after his regeneration. The thought of horcruxes made Karma sick to the stomach. They were the products of evil, vile dark magic at its most horrific.

But the only way to undo this magic, and make oneself whole again, is through remorse, and this alone could kill you. If ever in that situation, which she swore to herself she would never be, Karma would definitely opt for remorse. She knew it would be far better to die remorseful with a whole soul, and rest in peace, than to die unrepentant with a splintered soul, and suffer for all eternity. Voldemort, however, did not know this, and Karma knew he wouldn't opt for remorse in a million years.

"We're all safe, then!" thought Karma cheerfully.

Then she remembered the last line.

"_The Dark Lord will only succeed with the help of the last daughter of Ravenclaw."_

Karma knew for definite that she was the last living female descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, at the moment anyway (she violently shoved aside a sudden image of herself lying in a bed with Lucius standing over her, grinning proudly and holding a baby). Karma, shaken by this unwelcome detour of her thoughts, pressed on defiantly in her head.

So how did she come into this? How could she help Voldemort to become whole, and thus help him to succeed? She supposed she would just have to convince him somehow to feel remorse, but this still seemed unlikely, even if he was shown the prophecy through her memory. But was there another way?

An image of the cover of a book flashed into her mind. She swept over to the bookshelves and ran her fingers along the many spines until they found it. She pulled the old leather bound volume off the shelf and set it gently down on the desk as she sat back down. It was entitled simply 'Sacrifice'.

She turned to the Chapter titled 'Love' and scanned it until she found what she was looking for.

_Instance 32:_

_In the case of a wizard or witch who has committed the hideous atrocity of the creation of one or more Horcruxes, and thereafter said wizard or witch wishes to repair the damage to his or her soul, they need not necessarily bear the entirety of their remorse alone. If said wizard or witch is in love with a partner who is in turn in love with him or her, then said partner may sacrifice themselves to share the remorse with said wizard or witch, or may even take the entirety of it upon themselves. Since love entwines two souls together, the partner need only feel remorse for what said wizard or witch has done, and thus said wizard or witch's soul will be healed. It is warned that bearing the entirety of the remorse may be fatal._

Karma frowned. This would never happen with her and Voldemort. She still felt that there was some other possibility. It was something similar. It was… It was just like this, but a dark, twisted version. Involving…possession, was it?

This time Karma had a harder time remembering and finding the right book. She tried four different books of dark magic (all of which were located at the bottom of her bookshelves) before she found the right one. It was entitled 'A Dark Wizard's Version of Selected Spells and Rituals'. This was one of the books of dark magic that scared her the most. She found it fiendishly, but also enticingly, clever. It's dark, twisted genius of an author had found and exploited all sorts of loopholes and opportunities to distort perfectly innocent pieces of magic for evil purposes. As soon as Karma spotted its spine, she remembered that it contained a particularly chilling distortion of 'Instance 32'.

The chapters were not titled, so she had difficulty finding the right section.

_Now, dear reader, I come to the subject of the wonders of the soul. The horcrux, of course, to the completely moronic dark wizard, may seem like the ideal solution to make oneself that little bit more invincible._

Here Karma could not help but giggle at what Voldemort's reaction would be on reading this.

_But, of course, everyone with some measure of sense knows that the horcrux is in fact a curse that no sane wizard should ever inflict on himself. Believe me, there are other, smarter and more subtle ways of becoming that little bit more invincible (see my other works). _

A few pages further she found it.

_In order to regain any chance of being a successful dark wizard, the wizard who has inflicted himself by creating one or more horcruxes has three options with which to reverse his condition. If he so wishes he can risk killing himself with remorse, or he could share the remorse with the one he loves, if such a one exists. However, I suggest the third option that I myself have discovered (and proved to be safe to the Dark Wizard who attempts it, as long as they have enough skill)._

_All that is required is a sacrifice (this must be a witch or wizard, not a pig or anything of the sort), willing or otherwise, the ability of possession and the use of the Imperius Curse. The instructions for this relatively simple ceremony are as follows:_

_Ensure that your chosen sacrifice is held still and secure_

_Use the Imperius Curse (if necessary, use also the Imperius Potion as required) and order the sacrifice to feel remorse for your actions_

_Possess the sacrifice (so that your souls are connected)_

_When you feel that your soul is whole again, abandon the sacrifice_

_Be warned, the sacrifice may die on completion of the task so evacuate promptly._

Karma's mischievousness had abandoned her. Was this to be her end? To die as a sacrifice so that the Dark Lord may triumph? She replaced all the books and paced melancholy round the room.

She stopped and told herself to snap out of it. She told herself again that she was a powerful witch with brains, by no means helpless, and that she could play this game and win. Immediately she felt more positive.

She had already decided that she didn't want to run, but what did she want? She wanted to avoid Voldemort. She wanted to save Nathan and also stop Voldemort from taking over. These aims seemed unfortunately contradictory.

While wondering what she should attempt first, she noticed the rope that was still lying discarded on the floor behind her chair. She decided that there was someone she should visit first. After all, this would be a long and difficult game, and it would be nice to have some help.

I apologise if this chapter was a bit heavy going (and contained no men!), but it had to be done to set up the rest of the story. And I PROMISE that Lucius will be in the next one!


	8. Narcissa

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

After several weeks of hiding and spying, Karma made her first move out of her years-long solitude. Standing on the threshold of Malfoy Manor, having just pulled the bell-pull, she was gripped with apprehension and nerves. How would Narcissa react to her sudden reappearance after all these years? She was not given much time to contemplate.

The door swung open to reveal Narcissa. Karma had gone to great pains to make absolutely sure that they would be alone and undisturbed today. Narcissa looked far more careworn than when they had last met, and the sparkle of ironic humour that used to be in her eyes and smile had gone. When she realised who was standing on her doorstep, her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.

"You're alive," she said slowly, as if she did not quite believe it.

Karma broke into a wide grin. A smile grew slowly on Narcissa's face, until she could not resist but to mirror her old friend's happiness.

"Where have you been? Why didn't you ever contact me? Oh, come in and tell me everything! God knows I need a friend right now. Pinky! Bring tea and biscuits to the Drawing Room!" gushed Narcissa while sweeping Karma inside and into the richly furnished little room, where a fire was burning merrily. "Sit down! Sit down!"

They sat in opposite armchairs that were drawn up close to the fire, and for a moment Karma was reminded horribly of her encounter with Voldemort.

"Tell me everything," repeated Narcissa, once the elf had brought the tea and left. "This had better be good!"

Karma smiled uneasily and told her of her work in the DOM. She found it very hard to explain why she hadn't contacted anyone.

"I suppose I wanted to shut myself away. I wasn't ready for marriage; I wanted to do something with my life and my talents first. When I saw Lucius's face after I refused him I felt awful, I just wanted to be alone. All of a sudden I just felt like I wanted to go my own way, hide myself away, and shut everything, everyone, else out."

"Of course I don't understand," smiled Narcissa. "But then I never did understand you!"

Karma laughed happily, this was more than she could have hoped for. She had expected Narcissa to be at least furious with her. However, she did sense that Narcissa was troubled.

"And how about you, Narcissa? How are things with you? It must be hard, with Lucius in Azkaban…"

"So you knew about that?" she said, and sighed. "Well, I shall tell you the whole truth of the matter. We've always been honest with each other, have we not?"

Karma nodded. Narcissa turned her sad gaze to the fire.

"The truth of it is, he has actually escaped, and is now on the run," she stated, quietly.

"Well that's fantastic!" burst out Karma, rather too enthusiastically for her own liking.

Narcissa turned to face her with her eyebrows raised. Karma quailed.

"For you, I mean…" said Karma, sheepishly.

"Oh, don't be silly, Karma!" laughed Narcissa. "You think I don't know that his heart has always been yours? It makes no difference to me, our marriage works quite well for the both of us. We both do our own thing, and I have a marvellous relationship with Draco's personal Quidditch tutor."

Karma, who had been staring red-faced at the floor, looked up with a grin at this. Narcissa blushed and handed her a photo of a strapping ex-professional Quidditch player, who had obviously retained his sporting physique.

"His name is Charles Bennet, and we have been passionately in love for five years now," Narcissa announced proudly.

"And how is Draco?" inquired Karma, who knew little of the boy.

"Ah, yes," sighed Narcissa, looking troubled once more.

She hesitated, and then stared intensely at Karma.

"I need your advice, desperately. Will you help me?"

"Of course!" replied Karma immediately. "What is the matter?"

Narcissa then explained everything about Voldemort's displeasure with Lucius, and how he was punishing them both by giving Draco the task of murdering Dumbledore.

"I don't know what to do!" sobbed Narcissa. "I have made contact with Lucius, and he is furious. I don't know what he'll do. Oh, Karma. What if he gets himself killed! The Dark Lord is furious with him already…"

"Does the Dark Lord know that Lucius has escaped?" asked Karma steadily, mind racing.

"No, not at the moment."

"Then I would say this; do all you can to ensure Draco's safety without angering the Dark Lord," she paused for thought. "Is there any way you can keep an eye on him? Perhaps another Death Eater…"

"Snape!" burst out Narcissa. "He's Draco's favourite teacher at Hogwarts! I could ask him to do it. But I am not sure whose side he is on…"

"Whoever's side he's on, it's worth a try," insisted Karma.

"But what about Lucius?"

"Do what you can for Draco, leave Lucius to me," replied Karma, purposefully. "Oh and don't mention to Voldemort that you've seen me, he's looking for me."

Karma then told her everything, excluding only the prophecy. Narcissa was concerned, but told Karma that she knew she could look after herself, and promised not to tell a soul. They parted with a warm farewell, and went their separate ways. Narcissa to Spinner's End, Karma to her current hiding place.

Karma reluctantly apparated back into the hallway of the dark, musty, abandoned old house that for the moment was her hideaway. She opened the door to her right and stepped into the living room, which was lit only by the copious amounts of moonlight that was streaming through and around the thin curtains. When she had left it, it had contained only an armchair, a sofa and a plain wooden table. Now she noticed there was an opened bottle of red wine standing on the table.

In the opposite corner of the room, the door through to the kitchen stood ajar. She was sure it had been shut when she left…

The door slammed suddenly behind her. She yelled out, thrust herself backwards on to the wall and fumbled in her pocket for her wand. She was horrified to find that it was gone.

"Looking for this?" asked that oh-so familiar, drawling voice.

Karma looked up to see Lucius standing near the kitchen door. In one hand he held a glass of the red wine, in the other he held Karma's wand.


	9. Lucius

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

Right, here we go! Some Lucius action at last! I hope it's worth the wait!

"How did you..?" asked Karma weakly, still pressing her back against the wall for support.

A house elf emerged sheepishly from behind the sofa.

"Keep Miss Rochester's wand somewhere safe, Hob," ordered Lucius, handing it to the elf, who promptly disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

Karma gathered her strength, and stepped forward off the wall, struggling to keep her fear and apprehension from showing. She tried desperately to match Lucius' look of cool determination with one as equally cold and confident. She conceded to herself that she would rather face Snape or Voldemort again than Lucius.

He sat down leisurely on the sofa and crossed his legs, watching her with a hint of amusement at her bemused silence.

"Karma, please," he said silkily. "Come and sit down."

He stroked the empty space beside him as he said it, and gave Karma an irresistibly piercing look. Resisting the urge to fling herself on top of him, she sat resolutely on the armchair next to her. She met his gaze with what she hoped was a blank expression. She was trying to figure out why he was here. Surely if he intended to hand her over to Voldemort, he would have summoned him by now? Or at least tied her up? She was about to ask when he stood up and grasped the wine bottle.

"May I offer you some wine?" he asked, conjuring a wine glass out of the air.

Karma looked at him suspiciously but accepted. He poured it out, handed it to her and then resumed lounging on the far side of the sofa with his own glass, watching her every expression.

Karma sniffed the wine, decided that it was not drugged and then took a sizeable gulp. Well, she felt like she needed it.

"Why are you here?" asked Karma, tentatively.

"Well, since we are both in hiding, I couldn't see why we shouldn't do it together!"

"And that involves taking my wand away?"

"I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't be hostile towards me. I did, after all, attempt to capture you in the Department of Mysteries, after which you failed to rescue me from imprisonment."

"You deserved it," she said dispassionately.

"Oh, really," his eyes flickered maliciously. "Why?"

Karma was thrown by his sudden vicious tone. For some reason she found it deeply upsetting.

"Well… I… Um…" she stammered, flustered. "Anything which stops the Dark Lord's plans is a good thing."

"And since when have you thought like that?" said Lucius in a cuttingly vicious whisper.

"Since I have discovered what he is!" Burst out Karma.

"And what is that?" asked Lucius, detached once more.

"He is… He stands for all the magic that I most despise, and he disregards, misunderstands and hates the magic that I hold in the highest esteem!" cried Karma passionately, rising to her feet. "He has made horcruxes Lucius! They are the vilest, the most evil… No wizard, dark or otherwise, in their right mind would ever consider making them! He is insane, Lucius! Insane and deluded! And what about Draco! Look what he's doing to your son! Will you defend, admire, serve the man who delights in tormenting your son, and through him you and your wife, and who would put him in mortal danger without a second thought! Well?!"

"No!" shouted Lucius, standing swiftly to his feet. "No I will not! And I would like you to know that I have already made that decision!"

"You have denounced him?"

"Inwardly, yes," conceded Lucius calmly, taking his seat once more. "But I shall not denounce him openly, that would be foolish, and dangerous, of course, to more than myself. How did you know of Draco?"

"I have been to see Narcissa," replied Karma, lowering herself back down into the armchair.

"Ah, at long last."

"I told her to ask Snape to keep an eye on Draco."

"And do you think he will agree? He is such a slippery fellow, I've never been quite sure of his loyalties."

"I told her it was worth a try," said Karma. "I also told her that I would find you."

At this Lucius raised his eyebrows.

"She was worried you might do something rash and make things worse."

"Well I can assure you there's no danger of that," he said, with a slight smile.

"I didn't think there would be," said Karma, her suspicions rising once more. "Do you mean to hand me over to Voldemort, and so regain his favour and secure the safety of your son?"

"That would be a very handy solution, wouldn't it?" drawled Lucius, with a tone and a look that Karma couldn't quite place.

The room fell silent as Lucius stared continuously at Karma, as if expecting her to figure something out. She shifted nervously under his gaze, bewildered as to what he meant.

"Then… Then you do mean to hand me over?" she asked, bemused.

He leapt to his feet once more, fury etched on his face.

"NO!" he shouted down at her. "DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK ME CAPABLE OF THAT?!"

He turned his gaze agitatedly to the ceiling and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you really not know why I bothered to break out of Azkaban? Can you really not guess why I am here tonight?" he asked in a barely controlled whisper.

Karma shook her head soundlessly, completely dumbfounded and quite alarmed after his outburst.

"I got out and found you out to make sure…"

He stepped forward and stood over her, his voice cool and controlled once more.

"To make sure that you would not slip away from me again."

Karma sat there, looking up at him, and the words refused to sink in. Up to this point she had been convinced, due to his removal of her wand and his cool, disaffected manner, that he did in fact mean to give her back to Voldemort. But all at once he had become as aggressive and passionate as he had always been with regard to her.

He sat back down and turned away from her, agonising in her silence and fearing what she would say next. He rebuked himself for losing his temper. Why did she have to affect him so?

There was a feeling growing within Karma. A feeling which she tried and failed to suppress, and which she only just managed to keep from her face. It was a giddy, soaring sensation that made her feel at once as if she would fly up through the ceiling or fall faint to the floor. Lucius! After all these years! Lucius was still obsessed with her, still wanted her, was still in mad, passionate love with her. The realisation of it made her want to jump up and run screaming round the room.

Instead she stood up, walked over to him and sat beside him on the sofa while he watched her with curiosity. He uncrossed his legs and turned his body to face her. The closeness of him was overpowering. His eyes, intense, his lips, partially open, his chest, she wanted to feel the solidity of it against her hands, against her breasts. Lucius leant forward and placed his mouth near her ear.

"I wanted so much for you to be mine. My own. Forever," he whispered, causing Karma to shiver.

He pulled back and surveyed her face with renewed intensity in his eyes. They inspired within her a deep sense of longing.

"I have cursed myself endlessly for letting you get away," he added, bitterly.

"Since the day we first got together I have been, and always will be, yours and only yours," gushed Karma, unable to stop herself.

Lucius pushed her gently but forcefully backwards on the sofa and leant over her, holding her down by her arms. The weight of him above her and his strong grip on her arms made her feel as if she would submit to his every will, yet she was still slightly tense and unsure. Then he lowered his lips to hers and all else melted away. Almost immediately she opened her mouth to invite him to deepen the kiss. She wished he would release her arms, so she could run her fingers through his hair. He pulled away.

"Say it again."

"I am yours, Lucius. Only yours."

For a second more he held her there, and smiled a small, predatory grin of triumph, and then he released her arms and sat back.

"Well in that case…" he said in a very low drawl, with his eyebrows raised and a mischievous smile. "Voldemort does not yet know of my escape, and I can think of a few things we could do…"

Here his eyes moved agonisingly slowly down over her body. She felt herself blushing violently.

"To pass the time."

Karma could no longer restrain herself. She thrust her hands into his hair and kissed him forcefully. She was infuriated when he wouldn't respond. She pulled away, frowning at him, to see that he was highly amused.

"Well, well. Someone's keen, aren't they?" he drawled, eyes sparkling.

Karma giggled and sat back. It was her turn to try and make him lose control. She draped her arm over the back of the sofa and laid her head on it, giving him doe-eyes.

"Mr Malfoy, I've longed for over fifteen years for another chance to receive the Lucius Malfoy treatment. There was many a time when I would sit, all alone, in my office, and remember, how you used to, touch…"

At this word she placed her free hand in between her breasts and began to move it slowly downwards. She was pleased to see that Lucius's breathing had quickened, and that he could not take his eyes off her hand's slow progress.

"Me."

She reached down suddenly to her ankle and Lucius started forward, but still hung on to his self control. She closed her eyes, drawing her hand slowly up her leg.

"I wanted so much…"

Her hand reached her knee.

"To feel you…"

Inner thigh.

"Inside me…Again."

She opened her eyes and stared straight at him as she said it. She raised her face to the ceiling as if in ecstasy. He could see her hand moving under her robes… Between her legs… He snapped.

He pounced on her, straddling her legs with his and forcing her roughly backwards into the back of the sofa. He kissed her wolfishly and with a hard passion that it took all her will to resist. She refused to respond and he drew back, looking almost mad with frustration. She smiled triumphantly. He gave her a dangerous look that made her squirm beneath him, but she did not back down.

"Oh, Mr Malfoy," she said innocently, feigning confusion. "What was I talking of? I have quite forgotten!"

Lucius chuckled darkly, his composure regained, and he climbed off her and resumed his seat. He decided it was his turn again.

He propped himself up with his back against the arm of the sofa. He kicked his shoes off, drew his feet up from the floor and rested them on the sofa in front of him with his knees bent. Karma felt a sense of foreboding, he always found it so easy to tease her.

He shifted forward so he could lay back against the arm of the sofa, his hands behind his head as if he were lying outside enjoying the sunshine. Karma looked on warily.

"I seem to remember," he mused in a slow, intoxicating drawl, looking up at Karma. "That you used to have a fixation with my chest? Am I right?"

He looked away as if pondering her answer and casually laid a hand on the area in question. He was so much more subtle than Karma, and Karma found herself staring at his hand. She looked away in a belated gesture of defiance to find him looking at her again, eyes twinkling. He put his hand back behind his head and looked casually at the ceiling once more.

"So why don't you…"

He parted his legs as far as the limits of the sofa would permit, allowing Karma a wonderful view of the sizeable bulge in his trousers and beyond that his oh-so-solid chest.

"Come over here…" he continued, fixing her suddenly with an overpoweringly enticing look. "And feel it."

Karma could bear it no longer. She crawled in between his legs and ran her hands over his chest, revelling in its familiar solidity. When her face reached his she found he was wearing an extremely self-satisfied look.

With a suddenness and quickness that made Karma scream, he clamped his legs around hers, grabbed her arms and forced her round so that she was beneath him. Smiling wickedly, he kneeled and sat back on Karma's legs.

"Oh, Karma. You really are too easy," he said tauntingly.

Karma had had enough of this teasing.

"Mr Malfoy, I believe it's high time you got your wand out!"

He chuckled at the double meaning and bent over Karma to retrieve his cane from the floor. He whipped his wand out of the top and pointed it at her. She closed her eyes, expecting sudden nakedness, but after a short pause she looked back up at Lucius. There was a mischievous look in his eye. She raised her eyebrows.

"Karma, do you promise never to leave me again?" he asked.

"No, I do not!" she said rebelliously.

"And are you desperately sorry for leaving, and wish you hadn't?" he asked, eyes twinkling dangerously.

"No and no!" replied Karma, grinning defiantly.

"Well in that case," he whispered silkily. "I shall have to teach you a lesson."

Ropes flew out of his wand and wound themselves securely round her wrists, binding them tightly together. He enjoyed her look of fear and confusion and slipped his wand teasingly back into his cane. He released her legs, pulled her up and turned her round so that she was kneeling in front of him. He leaned forward, rested his head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Now you had better be a very good girl, and do exactly as I say."

She shivered and he stood up off the sofa.

"Turn around. Face the back of the sofa," he commanded. "Rest your elbows on the top, yes, and put your hands on your head. Part your knees slightly, yes, that's it."

"Oh dear god," thought Karma, breathing heavily. "He's going to spank me. Right here. Right now. He's going to spank me for running away."

She had imagined this scenario many times; he had used to do it when they were together, for their mutual pleasure, of course. With that damn sexy cane of his.

"If you move, or make one sound, I'll take it that you're ready to rethink your answers," he drawled, vindictive pleasure in every syllable.

With a whistle and a thwack, the cane made hard and sharp contact with her behind. She gasped out involuntarily, and Lucius descended on her like an eagle.

"Did I hear something, Karma?" he hissed in her ear.

"No, nothing. Nothing at all," she said faintly, she would not give in so easily.

Whistle, thwack. She bit down on her lip to silence herself.

Whistle, thwack.

Whistle, thwack.

Whistle, THWACK.

"OW!" Karma cried out, Lucius swooped down on her. "Alright! Alright! I am desperately sorry that I left, and I wish I hadn't!"

"And do you promise never to leave me again?"

"Lucius, I can't…"

Whistle, THWACK. Whistle, THWACK. Whistle, THWACK.

"OH! OW! Ok, ok, STOP IT!"

Lucius grinned into her neck and waited.

"I need to hear it, Karma."

"I promise never to leave you again," she murmured, panting.

Lucius forced her round to face him.

"With feeling, if you please!" he said, still grinning wickedly.

She placed her tied arms over his head and looked deep into his eyes.

"I sincerely promise that I will never leave you ever again," she said with as much feeling as she could muster, which she found came very naturally.

"Now that's more like it," he whispered.

He descended on her lips and this time neither of them resisted. He dropped his cane and held her back with one hand while the other began to caress her sore behind, making her squeal into his mouth. He pulled away and she could see her now-urgent lust mirrored in his eyes. He picked up his cane and withdrew his wand once more, yet still he hesitated.

"Lucius, please!" begged Karma.

"Actually," he said, slowly, replacing his wand in the cane and tossing it aside. "I think we should undress each other the slow way."

Karma thought she might die, but the thought of undressing Lucius, and he undressing her, with his hands, was too good to resist.

"We'll take turns; one piece of clothing each. You start, Karma."

Ok, I'm afraid I have to stop it there because this chapter is getting far too long! I promise I'll get the next one up soon!


	10. Lust

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

BEWARE: Smut-fest because I can! (And I've never tried it before, so please review and tell me how I did!)

Karma untied his cape and tossed it aside.

Lucius pulled her shoes slowly and luxuriously off her feet.

Karma slowly and deliberately undid the buttons of his long, tight, suit-like robes. She slid it over his shoulders, taking care to press her herself as close to him as possible. A long, ruffled undershirt was revealed. More buttons! Karma wanted to rip it, would he forgive her?

Lucius made light work of pulling Karma's robes straight off over her head. He was pleased to see that he had caught her on a sexy underwear day. Midnight blue and lacy.

"I see you're admiring my underwear, Mr Malfoy."

"They'll look much better on the floor, I'm sure," he drawled, his fingers fiddling with the knicker elastic.

"I believe it's my turn!" she reminded him.

She waved his fingers away and set to work on his shirt buttons. Once she had made a substantial V, however, she had to stop and press her cheek to his chest. She listened to his steady breathing and let her hands travel up underneath the shirt. She stayed there, motionless, holding herself to his chest. Lucius rolled his eyes, she always did this.

"Karma, snap out of it. I want my next turn sometime soon."

Karma looked up and looked as though she had been miles away. She grinned mischievously and tore his shirt fully open. He shrugged it off himself and inspected the damage with a mock-scandalised look.

"That was a good shirt!" he protested in pretend outrage. "I ought to spank you again for that!"

"Lucius Malfoy, my bra is waiting!" she said sharply, although she couldn't resist giggling afterwards.

"Then it shall just have to wait."

And with a great wrench he ripped off her knickers in one go. She was shocked, more than a little impressed, but still peeved. They had been one of her favourite pairs!

Lucius stopped her from protesting with one finger on her lips.

"I believe it is your turn," he said, surveying himself to find that only his black boxer shorts were left. "Oh, and it appears to be your last."

She hooked her fingers into the top of the boxers at each side and nearly fainted when Lucius pushed his hips up to enable her to pull them off. Lucius rested himself back down and resisted the urge to grab her by the hair and…

"Karma!" he blurted out to make her look up at him so that he would not lose control. "I believe it is my last turn now."

She turned round and he unclasped the bra, tossing it so that it joined their mingled pile of clothing on the floor. Now they had finished with the undressing, he decided, it was high time they got down and dirty with some old-style passion.

He placed his smooth, strong hands on her stomach, and Karma was electrified by their coldness. He slid them upwards and took a firm hold of her breasts.

"What shall we do now, Karma?" he whispered in her ear.

"How is your stamina tonight?" she asked, laughing.

"I feel as if I couldn't sleep all night if I tried," he replied in what was almost a growl.

She forced herself round to face him.

"Then I think we should continue to take turns. At each turn the person does or suggests something that they think would give the other person the most pleasure," announced Karma.

"Perfect," smiled Lucius. "But I can promise you two things…"

"And what are they?"

"You will be the first to fall asleep and you will be exceedingly sore in the morning," he drawled, eyes glittering. "May I go first?"

"Of course," replied Karma, excitement mounting, Lucius could be verrry creative.

"Lie back and roll over."

Karma did so and Lucius began to massage her back and shoulders. The smooth, rhythmic action of his hands was exquisite and Karma found herself melting into the sofa under their soft pressure.

From far away she heard Lucius' voice, and realised he had stopped.

"Turn over, Karma," he said, his voice for once soft and musical.

She rolled over sleepily to find Lucius looking down at her with an amused smile.

"Not falling asleep already, are we?" he said, tauntingly.

"Is it my turn?" asked Karma, mentally shaking herself awake.

"Oh no, Karma," he murmured, voice deep. "My massage is not finished yet."

And with that he laid his hands softly on her breasts, and began to tease the nipples with his thumbs. Karma squirmed and her arms became restless. Seeing this Lucius shuffled forward and leaned down to kiss her while still working with his hands, so that she could run her hands through his hair and hold on to his head or his shoulders. He placed one hand behind her head and pulled her up with him as he leant back, so that she was in more of a sitting position. He continued to kiss her as he moved his other hand down to lightly stroke over her dark curls, causing Karma to slide herself closer and cling on to his shoulders. He slipped a finger down into her wet warmth and began to swirl it round in agonisingly slow circles, causing Karma to gasp and moan into his mouth. After a while he began to slip it slowly in and out. He pulled Karma's head back so he could see her reactions. Every so often he would surprise her with a hard, deep thrust of his finger and delighted in her cries of exclamation. He increased his pace and she buried her forehead against his shoulder until she cried out in climax.

Lucius withdrew his finger and she flung herself round his neck, holding him tightly and begging him to forget the game and take her now.

Lucius almost gave in. Almost.

"No Karma, it's your turn now," he said, pushing her gently off him.

She shook herself mentally, still breathing heavily, and regained her composure.

"Very well," she said, one eyebrow raised seductively.

She slid to the floor and came to kneel in front of him. He swivelled round and placed his feet on the floor. She pushed his knees open and looked up to see that he looked very pleased indeed. He loved to always feel dominant.

"You know me too well, Karma."

"Would the Master prefer hands or mouth today?" she asked, knowing it would turn him on.

"The mouth, if you please," he replied, with a satisfied smile.

Karma took his large, hard member in her mouth and began to move her head up and down, swirling her tongue leisurely as she went. Lucius sighed contentedly, leant his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. After a while she became faster and more teasing with her tongue and teeth. This caused Lucius to gasp and become more agitated in his arousal. His hips began involuntarily to complement her movements and she held on to them encouragingly. He bit his lip but could not help but to gasp out louder and louder. He balled his fists tightly and pressed his head hard into the back of the sofa until he cried out and with a surge filled Karma's mouth with his seed. He looked down and smiled with satisfaction to see Karma swallow it down.

She sat down next to him and drank some more wine, allowing him time to recover and getting rid of the slightly unpleasant taste. She turned to find him staring at her with undisguised lust. He was hard again.

"Mr Malfoy, I really don't know where you get your energy!" she said in disbelief, setting her glass back down on the table.

He didn't reply but stood up, grasped her by the hand and pulled her roughly to behind the armchair. He shoved her mercilessly against the wall and held her hands above her head, kissing her with a complete lack of the control he had shown earlier. He pulled back and she saw pure animal lust in his staring eyes and slight sneer.

"Good gracious, Mr Malfoy! What's got into you?" she said, laughing.

He growled, grasped her behind almost painfully and thrust up into her, flattening her hard against the wall and causing her to scream out in shock. She felt his grin against her skin and knew she was in trouble. She locked her legs round his waist and he leant his hands either side of her on the wall. He pumped into her ruthlessly and incessantly as he trailed hot, insistent kisses round her neck as she gasped and moaned and called out his name over and over. She ran her fingers fervently through his hair, holding his head to her neck. She felt her orgasm building and transferred her grip to his shoulders, raking her nails over his skin. He looked up at her and she gasped at his mad grin and wild eyes. He bit down hard on her shoulder and she screamed in an explosion of pain and pleasure. He gave one last thrust and she felt the satisfying surge deep within her.

He pulled away from her and collapsed to lie on his back on the floor, chest heaving. Karma slid down the wall to the floor. She was hot and flushed, and she could see that Lucius was also shiny with sweat. She crawled over to him and lay her head and hands on his chest and in response he wrapped his big, strong arms round her, holding her tightly to him.

After a while he felt her soften and relax and noticed that her breathing had become slow and regular. He sat up slowly and picked her limp form up with ease. He gave a small smile of triumph and carried her upstairs to find a bedroom.

His first promise was fulfilled; she had indeed fallen asleep first.


	11. Ropes

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

Karma woke early, with a wince of pain. She was indeed very sore after last night's activities. By the pale dawn light that was just starting to filter through the curtains, Karma could recognise the dusty old bedroom she had briefly investigated when she first came here. Lucius was lying sound asleep beside her, with one arm resting over her waist.

Deciding that she would get no more sleep while still sore, she gently removed Lucius' arm without waking him and crept down the stairs.

She stretched luxuriously amidst the untidy mess of discarded clothes in the living room, then stooped to fish out her pants and bra. After putting them on she searched for her wand underneath the clothes and furniture before remembering that Lucius had sent it away with the house-elf named Hob the previous night.

She considered waking Lucius and demanding its return, but decided to make breakfast manually and ask for it later. She went through to the kitchen, brought out the eggs and bread she had bought the other day and located a toaster and a frying pan.

As if from a distance, Lucius heard a persistent whisper.

"_Master… Master…_"

He dragged himself up into full wakefulness and glared sharply down at the elf standing beside the bed, it was Hob.

"Why did you wake me, Hob?" he asked, menacingly.

"Please forgive me, Master," squeaked Hob fearfully. "I have an urgent message from the Mistress."

"What is it?" he asked, with urgency and apprehension.

"The Mistress commanded me to tell you, that," Hob gulped. "Lord Voldemort has learned of your break out from Azkaban. The Mistress says he is frightfully angry, and has set out to look for you himself."

Here the elf nearly fainted. Lucius sat motionless.

"The Mistress says, he means to kill you!" wailed Hob.

Karma heard Lucius's footsteps approaching through the lounge as she picked up the frying pan containing the finished fried eggs. The toast was done, buttered and waiting on two plates on the small table. She turned to give Lucius a pose, frying pan in one hand, spatula in the other.

Lucius appeared in the kitchen doorway, fully dressed, with his left sleeve rolled up. His right index finger hovered threateningly over his dark mark tattoo.

"Hold your hands out in front of you, or I swear I'll call him. And don't give me reason to gag you!"

The frying pan, eggs and all, went flying into the sink along with the spatula. Karma thrust her hands out, thinking suddenly that this was a bad situation in which to be only wearing your underwear.

Lucius whipped out his wand and tied her hands and feet before dragging her into the lounge and binding her tightly to the armchair. When he had finished she could barely move at all. Lucius stood over her, wand in hand, obviously paranoid that she would somehow escape.

"Lucius! What's the matter? What's happened?" Karma asked desperately, bewildered.

"The Dark Lord knows I have escaped," said Lucius, in a slightly strained voice. "He is going to find me."

At once the situation was clear. If Lucius summoned Voldemort and gave him Karma, he would, in return, spare Lucius' life and ensure the safety of Draco. Karma had had some half-formulated plans in her head since yesterday that entailed this, but she had not yet thought them out. And now she was in no position to bargain with Lucius. She could not now say; 'If I let you hand me in, would you help me free Nathan?' She had not even had the chance to ask Lucius if he would help her in her quest to ensure that Voldemort was not eventually victorious.

Now Lucius could, and had to, hand her over immediately. If not he would die, and Draco's future would still hang in the balance. There was no other way.

"I understand. I understand that there is no other way. But, Lucius…" she looked up into his eyes beseechingly. "Don't abandon me, please! I can't do this alone… You will try to visit me, won't you?"

Lucius looked down into her desperate, fearful eyes and felt as though his heart was wrenched out. He turned his back on her and calmed himself. This was no time to get emotional. The lives of himself and his son were on the line. He pressed his forefinger to the skull tattoo.

"Lucius! Did you do it? Did you summon him?!" no reply, he must have done. "Lucius, my clothes! He will be suspicious!"

Just in time, Lucius magically dressed Karma in her clothes.

From a cloud of shadow, the Dark Lord materialised beside Lucius.


	12. Swear

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

A very large apology for the wait everyone! Its time to get back on track! But first, a quick shout out to all the fantastical reviewers: mizzgothic, lethalblonde0911, xXBlack.Friday.VampireXx, godessbloodrose, Becky Belle, Halloween Princess and Kagirinai.

Dangerous times lie ahead…

"Lucius! Did you do it? Did you summon him?!" no reply, he must have done. "Lucius, my clothes! He will be suspicious!"

Just in time, Lucius magically dressed Karma in her clothes.

From a cloud of shadow, the Dark Lord materialised beside Lucius.

Voldemort drew his wand and looked from Lucius to Karma, and then gave a low chilling laugh.

"I came to kill you Lucius, and it seems I must congratulate you instead. You have succeeded where I have failed."

"I mean only to be of service to you, my lord," whispered Lucius, his eyes and face unbearably cold and determined.

"And I suppose you didn't immediately return to me upon breaking out of Azkaban so that you could bring about this happy situation?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. Indeed I thought you had merely fled my wrath at your recent failure. I am most pleasantly surprised. Do you have Miss Rochester's wand?"

"My house elf…"

"Retrieve it and go to Severus. He will direct you to the new headquarters."

"Yes, my lord," replied Lucius, and he left.

Once they were alone, Voldemort looked down at Karma's terrified form tied to the chair, and laughed. He pointed his wand at her.

"I warned you, Karma. I warned you that you would not escape me. And here you are."

The defeat was written all over her face. She knew she had to re-enter Voldemort's domain, but why did it have to be like this? Tears of humiliation threatened to show themselves, and she failed to keep them hidden. This show of misery and defeat was not, however, quite enough to satisfy the Dark Lord.

"_Crucio!"_

The pain exploded through her and she shrieked and writhed as much as her bonds would allow. She could faintly hear Voldemort's chilling laughter over her own screaming.

After what seemed an age the torture stopped. But while she was still disorientated she was suddenly plunged into a suffocating void of nothingness. Voldemort had used a spell which removed all five of her senses and robbed her of speech. She could not feel, hear, see, smell or taste anything, on top of which he gagged her tightly. She of course had no idea and so was thrown into an even deeper panic to continue breathing.

Voldemort swiped away the ropes that bound Karma and looked down with satisfaction as her limbs flailed blindly and she gasped for breath.

Once Karma had recovered from her panic she realised that there was at least one sense for her to cling to and with which to prevent herself from going mad; muscle awareness. She could still tell that her limbs were there and could move them. She tried moving her fingers and toes, and was relieved to feel them wiggling. Her legs and upper arms, however, were restricted and she guessed that Voldemort must be carrying her. This realisation gave her absolutely no comfort whatsoever and her mind flew to the possible nightmarish experiences which awaited her.

Voldemort had already given her at least two chances to come quietly, there was no way he would grant her a third. She gathered herself and willed for the strength to pull through.

A little while later, a sudden absence of the pressure on her arm and leg muscles followed immediately by an all-over ache and a dizzy, disorientated head informed Karma that she had been thrown onto a hard surface with some force. Terrified of what she might come across if she tried to move, she decided that staying still was the best option.

Voldemort stood over her and looked down into her wide but unseeing eyes.

"You will serve me Karma," he whispered, eyes alight. "Even if I have to break you in mind, body and soul."

He decided to return in an hour, in order for the darkness to take its toll.

Karma's mind would not be broken this easily though, and she devoted the time constructively to artfully concealing her most dangerous memories from Voldemort's probing. The amount she could conceal well was minimal so she decided on the prophecy, her family name and her recent meetings with Narcissa and Lucius.

After spending an hour on this task she was confident that, providing he was not specifically looking for this information, he would not happen across these memories by chance. She then found that her faculties of speech and hearing had returned to her, as she was able to hear soft footsteps approaching and to mutter an instinctive 'who's there?'

"How are you Karma? Your mind has not succumbed to the darkness, I hope?"

Karma did her best to raise herself into what she hoped was some sort of sitting position and to twist herself towards the direction from which the Dark Lord's voice came. She looked upwards blindly.

"No," she replied, in as strong a voice as she could muster.

"Good. I would have been, disappointed, if it had. Now Karma, I will return your wand, dignity and, to a certain extent, your freedom, if you consent to three simple requests."

"And what are these three simple requests?" inquired Karma, tentatively.

"Three unbreakable vows," stated Voldemort. "Will you consider swearing them?"

Karma thought for a moment. If the vows did not make her mission to ensure Voldemort's downfall impossible, then she could consider them as a way to lull Voldemort into a false sense of security.

"Yes, I will consider them."

In one glorious moment, all of Karma's senses were restored to her. It was such a wonderful relief that she wanted to jump up and dance around what she now saw was a small, dingy dungeon. The sight of Voldemort standing over her checked this impulse and she saw that he had just summoned one of his death eaters.

A minute later Lucius walked in.

"My Lord?"

"Will you be our Binder, Lucius? Miss Rochester here needs to make some important promises."

"Of course."

Lucius' face was like stone as he pulled his wand from his cane and came to stand to the side of them.

Karma could not look at him.

The unhappy alternative was to watch Voldemort sweep deftly down to kneel opposite Karma. Her eyes met his, and she could not tear them away. His eyes at once fascinated, entranced and terrified her.

"Take my hand, Karma."

He raised and extended his own towards her. She marvelled at the long, spidery, seemingly delicate fingers before her eyes were drawn once more to his eyes, which were increasingly intense.

She raised her own hand slowly towards his. She was filled with a curious dread of the moment when their fingers would touch, but she could not stop now, now that she had a chance of regaining Voldemort's trust.

She threw her misgivings aside and reached forward.

Her fingertips touched his. This small touch on his too-cold skin gave her an electric thrill similar to the mixture of revulsion and excitement she had felt when he had forced her to kiss him, but a hundred times more intense. Through sheer compulsion she glided her hand into his.

She looked up once more into his face, and found that the simple touch had had an equal effect on him. In his eyes there was a mixture of shock and confusion, which, however, quickly turned to vicious triumph. With a whip-like motion he seized Karma's hand in a deadly, vice-like grip. She gasped and squirmed in pain at the unbelievable strength of those icy fingers.

Lucius felt as if he could never move again. He was sure that, in his efforts to appear hard and emotionless, and to betray no reaction to any scene such as this, he had in fact managed to turn himself entirely to stone. In reality his wand-hand was shaking, but Voldemort, intent on Karma, did not notice.

"Do you swear never to leave the castle and grounds that we are now in unless you have my permission?"

So he has a castle as his HQ now? Karma shoved aside this unhelpful thought and concentrated on the oath. She supposed that, with hopefully Lucius and Severus' help, she would be able to continue without having full freedom. She was lucky to be offered any freedom at all, she reminded herself.

"I swear."

The tongue of flame duly coiled around their hands.

"Do you swear never to attempt to kill me?"

Karma was surprised by this one. Did Lord Voldemort honestly believe that she, of all people, would try to kill him? She decided he was probably just making sure.

"I swear."

Voldemort looked pleased, but from the look in his eye, the last vow would be infinitely worse for her.

"Do you swear to be branded with the dark mark and become one of my death eaters within one hour from now?"

DAMN IT!!! Karma tore her face away and looked in anguish at the cold, stone floor. Voldemort still gripped her hand tightly.

Karma was taken over by an agony of indecision. Long ago she had made a sincere promise to herself that she would never, ever consent to become a death eater.

Karma knew that if she did, it would make her task so much easier. The boundaries of right and easy were so much blurred that she didn't know what she should do.

She finally decided. She would stick by her principles. She turned back to face Voldemort with steely determination.

"No, never."


	13. Treachery

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers

More Snape coming up!

Voldemort merely smiled and released her hand. He was evidently not surprised.

"Lucius, you may leave us," he ordered, eyes still boring into Karma's. "Send Severus down here."

Lucius left.

Voldemort stood leaving Karma kneeling and frowning at the floor. Had she done the right thing? She needed time to think.

Voldemort heard Severus approaching and went out to meet him. A few moments later Karma looked up to find Snape looking down at her, unfathomable as always, eyes glittering in the darkness.

"Get up. Follow me."

She hurried, as best she could with her sore legs, to keep up with Snape as he swept out of the cell and led her down stone corridors and up stone stairways until they stopped outside a handsome oak door.

"You are to stay in here," he stated.

Karma shot him an inquiring look and proceeded to turn the handle and shoulder open the heavy door. She stepped inside and was gobsmacked by what she saw.

She was standing in a capacious, well lit and handsomely furnished room. Opposite the door was a large four-poster bed with purple sheets and hangings. The other half of her room to the right was lower and had steps leading down to it. Here two comfy-looking purple armchairs basked in the warmth of a large fire which was burning in the grate of a beautifully carved fireplace. In this half there was a nice big window with a window seat and gorgeous views across the sunlit grounds.

Forgetting herself Karma squealed, dashed down the steps and jumped up onto the window seat to admire the view. She turned to see Severus close the door behind him and fold his arms, one eyebrow raised as if to remark on how inappropriate her reaction had been. Karma sighed and looked back out at the swaying trees.

"I guess I'm stuck here then," she said, mostly to herself. "And shouldn't you be at school?"

"The Christmas holidays have just started," he replied, dispassionately.

"Already? I've lost track of time," she said, and then she asked tentatively. "Severus, do you know what happened to Nathan after I left? Was he...killed?"

"You mean that whimpering assistant of yours? Voldemort persuaded him to become a death eater and spy inside the ministry for him. From what I hear, it didn't take much to convince him."

Severus descended the steps and walked towards Karma.

"The Dark Lord told me what you have sworn, and what you have yet to swear."

Karma stared resolutely out of the window. She was dismayed by Nathan's treachery, but felt sorry for the poor boy, who had been dragged so horribly into such an awful situation. Especially for someone as timid and weak-willed as him. She quickly scolded herself for being a hypocrit, she was hardly any more strong-willed herself, she supposed.

"At least you don't have to worry about me giving you the slip this time," she quipped at Severus, teasingly.

She turned round on the seat and jumped to find Severus standing right in front of her. He lowered his still unreadable face down to her and placed his hands firmly either side of her on the back of the seat.

"Do you have any idea of the punishment I suffered after you left?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"I…I'm sorry, Severus. You know I had to…" stuttered Karma, inching herself back away from the cruel intensity of his black eyes.

"Why are you always able to trick and deceive me, Karma? Why..? Why do you have this effect on me?"

He grasped her shoulders roughly and shook her slightly. His eyes flicked between hers and he began to look increasingly desperate and slightly deranged. Karma was frightened and highly distressed. Seeing him like this again forced guilty memories of their rocky break-up at Hogwarts back to the forefront of her mind. She lowered her gaze to avoid his eyes.

He immediately grabbed her chin and forced her head back up to face him. In one silky movement he slid both hands through her hair and then grasped the back of her head firmly. His lips clashed against hers in a forceful, aggressive kiss.

Lucius!

Karma did her best to jerk her head away and push away Severus' arms. Several tears ran down her face as she shook her head and avoided his gaze.

"Severus I can't," she stated in a wavering voice.

Severus' face was mutinous. He flung Karma onto the steps and pressed her back into them. Karma gasped out in pain and shock.

"You've been with Lucius again haven't you? You pathetic whore," spat Severus.

"Severus, please!" cried Karma, her back in agony.

"_Legilimens_"

The barrier Karma had put up to protect her memory of last night's events with Lucius did not survive Snape's specific probing for long before all was revealed to him.

He tore himself away from Karma and scolded himself for losing control once again. He leant on the back of one of the armchairs while he composed himself and decided what to do.

Karma eased herself up to sit on the top step and rub her aching back. What on earth would Severus do now?

Finally he turned round, placid as ever, walked up to Karma, grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Wordlessly he marched her out of the room and through the castle. He ignored all Karma's desperate inquiries as to where they were going and she was finally dragged through a door and thrown to the floor. This was, she discovered, Voldemort's study.

Voldemort, who seemed to be in a good humour today, stood up from his desk and looked with mild surprise and curiosity at the two of them.

"Why have you disturbed me, Severus?" he asked, stepping unhurriedly towards them.

"I must warn you, my lord, that I believe Miss Rochester is conspiring against you with Lucius Malfoy," stated Snape.

"What?! Severus!" exclaimed Karma, jumping to her feet in outrage.

"Hold her, Severus," ordered Voldemort, softly.

Severus forced her round to face Voldemort and pinned her arms to her sides.

"_Legilimens_"

By the time Voldemort was finished, which seemed an eternity, Karma was red with shame and embarrassment and Voldemort was laughing at her. Karma wanted to die but the fact that it had been pretty much all sex and no talk afforded her some small amount of comfort. At least there was no evidence there of conspiracy, which there well might have been.

"I see no evidence for this, Severus. Could it be that you are jealous?" jeered Voldemort.

"No, my lord," replied Severus emotionlessly, although his eyes flashed.

"Of course not," ventured Karma, as Snape let her go and she turned to face him once more. "The Severus Snape I know wouldn't stoop to such petty measures to gain revenge."

She turned and headed towards the door.

"Are there any other ill-founded speculations you wish to share with me, Severus?" she heard Voldemort say in a mocking voice.

"Yes, my lord."

Karma stopped, her hand on the door handle.

"It might interest you to know, my lord, that Miss Rochester is the only living descendent of Rowena Ravenclaw. I know this for a fact as she told me herself when we were at school together."

Karma turned towards Snape in slow-motion, face shocked, eyes full of hurt at his betrayal. He returned her gaze with an icy look. Tears began to run freely down Karma's face and she lashed out at him.

"Severus! You monster!" she cried. "How could you? HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Quite easily," he replied viciously, holding her arms to stop her hitting him. "I told you that if you escaped, I would keep your little secret no longer."

With this he flung her once more to the floor.

"That is enough, Severus," ordered Voldemort. "Treat the house of Ravenclaw with some respect. Please remember your own, lamentable, parentage. Now leave us."

"Yes, my lord," muttered Severus.

He swept out of the room and shut the door firmly behind him. He stalked down the corridor, trying desperately to calm himself, but he felt so angry. His head was in turmoil. Damn that Karma! Why did she always interfere? Why did she always ruin things for him?!

Karma stood slowly. She was about to wipe away her tears with her sleeve, but Voldemort dried her face with a twirl of his wand. The spell left her face chillingly cold. She held her head high, and looked straight at Voldemort.

She found that he was gazing at her as if seeing her in a new light. His eyes searched her face for familiar features and she could see that this discovery had earned her quite a bit more of his respect. She wasn't sure if she wanted it or not.

"Sit with me, Karma."

He walked over and sat down on one side of a three-seater sofa that was positioned under the first of three windows, all of which were blacked-out. The room was lit by numerous candles. Karma followed warily and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa to him.

"It seems you are full of secrets, Karma," he said, eyes twinkling malevolently in the candlelight. "I should like to find out more."


	14. Legilimens

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.

SPOILER WARNING: possible Deathly Hallows spoilers (for real this time, BE WARNED!!!)

"It seems you are full of secrets, Karma," he said, eyes twinkling malevolently in the candlelight. "I should like to find out more."

Karma looked uncertainly at him and the odd expression on his face made her turn her head in distaste. The sound of his voice made her look back.

"Karma, will you allow me to glance through your memories?" he asked, in a disturbingly polite voice.

"If you believe me proficient in Occlumency you will be sorely disappointed, my lord," replied Karma, shocked at the absence of his previous menace towards her.

"If I wanted to break into your mind, it would not matter how proficient you were, but I am asking your permission," said he, in an even more chillingly polite and patient way.

Karma resisted in asking why, or what he would do if she said no, not wanting to break his miraculous new patience so soon.

"Then, yes… you have my permission," she said, unsurely.

"_Legilimens,_" he hissed.

For the second time that day her mind was invaded, but this time there ensued a leisurely cruise through her general memories rather than an impatient search for one in particular.

The first flashback she saw was of her parents. There they were, standing on platform 9¾, waving at her as the Hogwarts Express pulled away for her first journey to Hogwarts. They stood out from the crowd; splashes of purple amongst the crowd of black. Her mother, so elegant and tall (even more so than Karma was now), in a flowing purple dress and the black cape with the shiny gold button. Her father, dashing and merry, with one hand nonchalantly thrust into the pocket of his black muggle trousers and sporting a ruffled, deep purple shirt. Their 'high' breeding was obvious in their features but not in their easy, smiling manners.

She then saw them again, this time standing in the entrance hall of Ravenclaw Hall, the splendid gothic mansion that she used to call home. It was evidently Christmas as there were decorations everywhere she looked.

Next they were back on the train, and saw a quick flash of Karma stumbling into Narcissa's compartment before moving on to the sorting hat. Once more Karma heard the words it had spoken to her, the instant it had been placed on her head.

"Ah, do you even need to ask? RAVENCLAW!"

She saw herself again with Narcissa, laughing on the way to Hogsmeade, but Voldemort impatiently passed this over.

The next vision to hit her was of her chance meeting with Snape. She had gotten lost on the way to meet Narcissa outside the dungeon common room, and Snape had shown her the way. She now saw him walking off into the gloom of torchlight.

She saw him again, and this time they were talking in the Forbidden Forest.

"We've talked about you, she thinks you're a…bit of a..." started the young Snape, unsurely.

"Slut?!" finished her younger self. "I'm so sorry she disapproves!"

"Well, yeah, I suppose. She'll never give me a chance if I go on like this."

"Why don't you just come out and tell me we're through?! If you love Lily so much, why are you still shagging me?!!" Karma cringed at her insensitive rage.

"I don't know! I can't help it!"

The young Karma rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased.

"Give me a break, would you?!" snarled Snape, starting to get angry as well.

"Give YOU a break! I'm the one who needs a break here! Why don't you…"

Here the memory was cut short; Voldemort was obviously tired of the bickering. They moved on to another quick flash of Karma sitting at her house table looking dejected, and then catching Lucius looking at her from the Slytherin table. She then found herself once more in the corridors of the dungeons, this time looking for Severus.

Although she was expecting it, it still made her jump when Severus' arm darted out of nowhere and dragged her younger self into a shadowy corner. His face was half-seen in the faint torchlight, but she could tell what he wanted as he pinned her to the cold stone wall.

"Get off Severus," she sighed, their difficult relationship had matured her more than anything else. "I came here to talk."

"I didn't," he whispered, in an attempt to seduce her.

She, however, was no longer so easily swayed, and pushed him off her forcefully. He snapped and shoved her back against the wall with the full force of his malicious temper. She shrieked out in pain and whipped out her wand, but he was too quick. He disarmed her before she could recover her breath enough to defend herself.

"_Silencio_"

The young Karma was overtaken by fear. She realised, as Snape threw her to the floor, that he really did mean to rape her! Tears started from her eyes as he held her roughly to the ground. She tried in vain to get away from him, as he clumsily ripped at her clothes. She was just about to give in to the hopelessness of her situation, when she heard a calm, silky voice mutter _stupefy_. The unconscious form of Snape collapsed over her and she hastily shoved it off.

And there he stood, reminisced Karma, my knight in shining armour. She fondly watched as he offered her his cloak to cover the sorry state of her own clothes before Voldemort tore her away from the memory, and on to others.

She saw in quick succession herself dancing with Lucius at a Christmas ball, receiving her straight O exam results and Lucius on one knee in front of her (which Voldemort did not allow her to linger on) before the death of her parents was once more played out in front of her.

This time Karma was in her early twenties, and she had arrived at the Hall to visit her parents after a days work at the ministry (she had then been only a secretary). When she stepped through the front door she found the pearls from one of her mother's necklaces scattered all over the floor. She was given further cause for concern when she found two mugs of tea which had both been dropped haphazardly on the floor of the sitting room. She called out and searched the ground floor rooms without success.

She returned to the entrance hall and approached the stairs, being careful not to slip on the pearls. She dreaded what she would find upstairs, but went directly to her parents' chamber. She knocked softly on the door, and when she received no reply, silently opened it. She happened upon them, just before the instance when they both died. The image of their last moment was burned upon her soul, and it tore her heart right out.

They were lying side by side, smiling softly, and looking into each other's eyes in a silent, sweet goodbye. She remembered every detail; what they were wearing, the letter that was in her mother's hand, how her father's hand rested lovingly on her long, raven hair which was fanned out in striking contrast to the white pillow.

At this point she tore away from the too-vivid image of the death tableau, to find herself back in Voldemort's study with tears pouring silently down her face.

She stood up and turned away from him, drying her tears and preventing herself from bursting into convulsive sobs. This was a precious, private grief to her, and she would not allow Voldemort to witness it.

And she never wanted to relive the contents of that letter.

"Forgive me, my lord," she said, not turning to see Voldemort's reaction to her memories. "I need some air."

With that she walked resolutely to the door, and was not stopped.

When she had closed it behind her, she set off at a run in what she hoped was the direction of the main doors. The castle was suddenly claustrophobic to her.

She desperately needed the release of sunshine and fresh air.


	15. Murderer

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

**Apologies for the extreme delay! I promised myself I wouldn't abandon this story altogether, though, so let's get back on it!**

Karma paused on the steps of the castle to catch her breath. The memories called up by Voldemort flashed incoherently through her mind, and she felt dirty after his unrelenting perusal of her most private memories. She realised that she was grasping her head in her hands in a futile attempt to keep the memories at bay. The letter... It threatened to reveal its tragic contents to her mind's eye once more. She fought it off. Was Voldemort probing her? Even at this distance? No, that was impossible...

Voldemort flung the doors of the castle open; he had followed her.

"I'm afraid I had not quite finished, Karma," he hissed down at her as she retreated down a step.

With a fresh arcing gesture of his wand he broke fully into her mind once more. She clutched her head ever more desperately as she backed down the steps, Voldemort following silently. She saw her shaking hand reaching out for the letter. It was loose in her mother's hand, she turned it over to reveal the words...

"NO!" Karma shouted, momentarily repelling the Dark Lord's hold. "You don't need to know this. It's not useful! Please! Why are you doing this?!"

Voldemort's slight sneer at her resistance was his only reaction to her desperate pleas.

"I want to know your secrets, Karma. Do not question the will of the Dark Lord!"

She knew he wanted to know about her family, and she wanted to explain that what he was about to see was not relevant... was something she wanted no one to know... but she couldn't resist anymore...



The words... The letter... They swam irrepressibly before her like in one of her long since suppressed nightmares...

_Dear Karma,_

_Your father and I must leave you, and with my last words on this earth I shall attempt to explain to you, wholly and truly, the reasons why. Your brother, who, you know, has been missing these four years, returned to Ravenclaw Hall earlier today. At first he seemed to have grown in sense and reason, but we soon learned that this was deceit; a product of his matured level of self-control. It was apparent also that the dark arts had taken an even greater hold over him. We foolishly tried to reconcile with him while drinking the tea. Suddenly his face lights up with that familiar malice, and he tells us the tea is poisoned; a poison of his own creation. It slowly saps our strength, your father tried desperately to create an antidote, but it seems his son's skills have all too early surpassed his own. Richard told us so, laughing madly, just before he left. I do not understand, neither I nor your father have ever understood, his madness, and it has proved our downfall. Perhaps you do, daughter. You are so clever, so knowing, and yet so quiet. I wish you had confided in us more, but it is too late now. And please, Karma, place no blame on yourself. Our own failures have led us to this fate._

_All that remains now is to wish you every happiness in your life to come, and to give our apologies for not being able to share any more of it with you. I do not believe Richard will come after you, what reason would he have? He killed us, I believe, because he resented us for trying to stop him. Perhaps he saw the death of us as the last barrier to becoming a self-respecting dark wizard. But this is merely the useless conjecture of a dying woman. Forgive me, Karma, but I have always been honest with you, and I don't intend to stop now. I fear this death, and I can see your father does to, but I am happy to know that we will leave this world side by side, as we have been in life. I'm sure you will be happy with Lucius; the two of you make such a striking couple!_

_Goodbye, Karma_

_Farewell, Karma, till we meet you again – your loving father_

Voldemort released her. She sank to her knees, attempting to cover the intensity of her grief with her hands. She thought, though, that she'd escaped the worst.

Voldemort had not expected such a revelation, it did not fit in with what he knew of Miss Rochester, and her reactions to him. Surely she would have been repulsed by any dark wizard after her brother's treachery? More importantly, this Richard Rochester could be skilled in the dark arts; he wanted to know whether this boy could be a threat to him, or a useful addition to his ranks.



"What happened to this 'Richard', Karma? Did you see him again?" he asked coolly, ignoring her sobs.

He started to penetrate he mind again, whereupon she surprised him by jumping to her feet and clinging to his shoulders, searching in vain for an ounce of compassion in his face and finding only disgust and fury.

"Please! Please don't..!"

She walked down the stairs in shock, holding her mother's letter in the pocket of her robes. No tears would fall, not yet, the shock made her numb. She stopped suddenly as she noticed a figure in the entrance hall. He held a single pearl between thumb and forefinger and was looking intently at it. His long black hair was in a ponytail. He turned his vicious brown eyes towards Karma.

"I always hated mother's pearls," he said.

She choked slightly, and her insides boiled faintly with anger, but she could neither move nor speak.

"Come to me, Karma Roxanne Rochester," he ordered in a rasping, somehow hypnotic, whisper.

She started to walk towards him. So this is what my beautiful, obsessive, violent, domineering, mad brother has turned into, she thought dumbly, a single tear sliding unnoticed down her face.

"Our parents are gone now," he stated, smiling maliciously. "They won't stop us being together anymore."

"Stop it Richard, you're my brother," the old line, delivered almost spiritlessly this time. "I have Lucius."

"Then I shall have to kill him too," growled Richard.

"No!"



Karma recovered slightly from her numbness to pull him back. She somehow brought herself to kiss him, and while he responded with surprise and passion, she found his wand. She sealed his mouth and nose dispassionately with her own and walked out in a daze, locking the Hall behind her and then throwing his wand into the darkness...

Karma came to shaking, her hands supporting her slouched form on the bottommost step. She vaguely heard Voldemort asking someone to bring her to him that evening. She looked up to see that that someone was none other than Lucius.

"Are you sure he died?" questioned Voldemort.

"There was no way..."

"Did you see him die? Did you go back?"

"No... I never went back..."

Voldemort strode back into the castle, leaving a more-than-awkward silence between the slumped Karma and Lucius.


	16. Rivals

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

"Who was the Dark Lord talking of, Karma?" asked Lucius, his voice shaking slightly at seeing her so devastated. "Was it your father?"

"No, Lucius," replied Karma.

She felt oddly calm as she sat back to look him in the eye. It was time to tell him the truth; the real reasons she left him all those years ago. She stood and approached him slowly.

"Lucius, can you take me for a walk round the grounds? I don't know where the boundary is, and there are things I need to talk to you about."

He nodded and offered her his arm. They headed towards a small copse of trees. She told him everything she had just been forced to relive, he listened; silent and expressionless until she finished and they reached the cover of the trees.

"Damn that Richard!" he snarled. "I always mistrusted him; it's not surprising he turned out to be such a madman."

"He always was," said Karma. "But you do understand why I left now? Don't you?"

"Didn't you trust me to protect you?" Lucius asked bitterly, standing over her.

"I'm sorry, Lucius. I just couldn't risk it. I was paranoid that he might still be alive, so I thought my best option was to disappear. I couldn't go back..."

"Why not? Surely a witch of your talents could have overpowered him if he was still alive."

Karma smiled weakly at this compliment.

"Maybe any other witch, but not me. Since I was little he had an almost hypnotic hold over me..."

Here Lucius' lip curled and he turned his head away in disgust. Karma shuddered to suppress the memories.

"I still don't know how I managed to do what I did that day. He could so easily have imprisoned me there," she shuddered even more at the thought.

Lucius could stand it no more, he pulled Karma to him and wrapped his arms around her. She felt so safe encased in his strong arms that she wondered whether she ought to have stayed, but, as her mother would say, that was useless conjecture now.

"We could go and look together, if only you were allowed to leave," whispered Lucius. Karma pulled away from him, frowning in thought. "No-one can get there unless accompanied by a family member, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"The Dark Lord obviously wants to know what became of Richard, he sees him as a possible threat..."

"Or servant, more likely," Karma interrupted.

"You could persuade him to let me take you there."

"He...er...he won't trust you with me," said Karma, avoiding his gaze.

"Why not?" asked Lucius, shortly.

"Because...because he saw...what we did the...er...other night," she replied slowly.

"I never knew the Dark Lord was such a pervert," remarked Lucius, with a straight a face as he could muster.

Karma gasped and giggled.

"Don't say things like that, he might hear you!" she whispered, stifling further giggles.

Lucius grinned mischievously and stepped towards Karma, who paced backwards until she found her back against a tree.

"This position seems familiar," he said, his low rumbling voice causing Karma to shiver.

With one sudden movement he grasped her legs, clamped them round his waist and pressed her back against the tree. She squeaked in surprise and he grinned evilly.

"Lucius!" she breathed. "You can't! Someone might see!"

She couldn't help giggling though and felt as if she was back at Hogwarts in the Forbidden Forest as he trailed hot wet kisses and nibbled at her neck while she scanned the copse for intruders. Unfortunately, she spotted one.

"Hold fire, Lucius," she warned him. "We have a spectator."

Lucius whipped round.

"SEVERUS!" he snarled, stalking angrily up to him. "Come to take a peek at what you can't have?"

"Actually," started Snape calmly, eyes glittering with malice. "I can and I have."

"That was years ago," hissed Lucius.

"Try a few months ago," retorted Snape silkily.

"Oh, Severus...!" exclaimed Karma in frustration.

At this he paced quickly past Lucius to stand threateningly over Karma, who took a step back and winced at his coldness.

"Don't deny it," he hissed down at her, eyes flashing.

"Karma?!" asked Lucius warningly.

"It was a week after Voldemort captured me," she explained, attempting to stare Severus out and then giving up and looking over his shoulder towards Lucius. "I was groggy from the after-effects of a spell at the time."

Lucius whipped out his wand and Snape span round to point his own at Lucius. Karma, knowing this could get very nasty, dodged between them.

"Can we please behave like sensible adults?!" she ordered, holding her hands up to each of them. They lowered their wands reluctantly. "Voldemort won't take kindly to two of his death eaters duelling each other in the grounds of his castle now will he?"

She felt like a schoolteacher. Severus looked irritably in the direction of the castle and Lucius continued to stare at him with loathing.

"Look, it's time I stopped this once and for all. Lucius, please go back to the castle. I need to talk to Severus alone."

"Don't be stupid! I'm not leaving you out here with _him_," he snarled, incredulous.

"Lucius, you have to trust me," she said softly.

She approached him slowly and gave him a single, tender kiss on the lips. He closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them they were burning with passion.

"I told you I'm yours so trust me and go," she whispered sternly.

He fidgeted irritably for a moment and then strode off through the trees. She turned to face Severus, her face showing only grim determination as he stepped uncertainly towards her, wand still in hand.

"Are you going to rape me like you tried to once before?" she asked, forcing her voice to keep steady and reproachful.

He stopped close in front of her, looking down his nose at her with a slight frown.

"Don't tempt me," he warned, his velvety voice dangerously low.


	17. Manipulation

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

"Are you going to rape me like you tried to once before?" she asked, forcing her voice to keep steady and reproachful.

He stopped close in front of her, looking down his nose at her with a slight frown.

"Don't tempt me," he warned, his velvety voice dangerously low.

"Severus, please..." sighed Karma, sadness overtaking her anger. "Stop doing this to yourself."

"What?" asked Severus shortly, suspicious of her change of tone.

"I've only ever been someone you could vent your frustration on, haven't I Severus?"

He turned sharply and took a few frustrated steps away from her, she followed.

"You love Lily, you always have! I was so messed up when we were together at school, caught between having a sick enjoyment of the hold I had over you and thinking I was somehow helping you. I should never have done any of it, and I'm sorry Severus! I was cruel and selfish, I..."

"Don't...don't say any more," said Snape quietly, voice and body shaking.

The next moment he became very still and silent. He shook his head once and Karma stretched a comforting hand towards his shoulder. Before it could reach him he walked away without another word.

Karma spent the remaining few hours before sunset wandering aimlessly in the grounds. Lost in thought, she was vaguely aware of keeping out of sight of the house as much as possible and being wary of crossing the boundary.

As sunset tinted the world a deepening red, Karma spotted Lucius searching for her from across the lake she had been walking round and remembered Voldemort's earlier instruction. Lucius spotted her soon enough and walked to meet her irritably.

"What have you been doing out here all this time? What did Snape..."

"Nothing happened!" interrupted Karma quickly. "I've just been clearing my head and calming myself down. And...preparing myself."

She avoided his gaze as they walked back to the castle together. Lucius flicked his eyes away in concern and frustration.

"For what? What does the Dark Lord want?"

Karma heard the worry and fear in his voice and wrapped her arm round his reassuringly.

"I have a hunch that he wants to check the House for, um, for Richard's body. To make sure that he, er, that he died," explained Karma with great difficulty.

At this moment Lucius stopped and pulled her in for another crushingly protective embrace. This threatened to undo the level of emotional stability she had achieved from her walk, but she thankfully just managed to keep from crying. Lucius more than anyone else made her lose her calm.

"Where is Voldemort?" she asked as Lucius pulled away.

"In his study again..."

He had barely finished speaking before Karma ran determinedly away from him. He shouted her name in frustration but she disappeared through the castle doors without a backward glance.

Karma marched into the castle, simultaneously forcing Lucius out of her thoughts and concentrating on what she would do if Voldemort did indeed want her to take him to her family home. Firstly he would need to dissolve the vow about her leaving by saying that she could. Then she would need her wand to be able to travel there with him by disapparation. How could he stop her from escaping once the vow was dissolved and she had her wand back?

Karma paused to consider this further and looked up from the floor to realise that she was thoroughly lost. She had paid no attention to the now-dark and gloomy corridors and staircases she had been so haphazardly pacing through, and now she found herself in an almost pitch-black passageway with little recollection of the route she'd taken.

She wandered cautiously back the way she had come to find the entrance to a spiral staircase that she vaguely remembered climbing just moments before. Shortly after stepping warily down into its dark depths, she had a strange feeling that the stairway was getting narrower, and the space she was stepping into was becoming smaller. Feeling as if she was in a dream, she put her hands up onto the walls beside her and realised with a stab of panic that they were indeed closing in on her.

She bolted upwards running her hands desperately over the outside wall in search of the doorway back out to the corridor. To her terror and despair it failed to present itself so she continued to flee up the stairs in the hope that they led up and out onto the roof. The thought that they might end with a deadly stone dead end was pushed quickly from her panic-ridden mind.

All of a sudden she found herself running out into torchlight and open space. Before the shock of this subsided and before she could feel relieved, two cold stone hands grasped her cruelly about the neck and lifted her off the ground. She gasped and struggled wildly as her eyes adjusted in time to see the angry form of Voldemort stalking towards her.

"Release her!" he hissed at the stone guards.

They duly complied, causing Karma to collapse, choking, with a small thump at his feet. She hissed at the searing pain at her neck and tentatively wrapped her hands around it.

"You continue to test my patience, Karma," he whispered viciously down at her, causing her to flinch away.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, stumbling to her feet with her hands still clasping her throat. "I got lost."

"Move your hands."

She looked up at his face to find that he was staring intently towards her neck, wand in hand. She stepped back instinctively and refused to lower her hands. He sneered slightly and flicked his wand so that her arms flew round to her back and her hands locked together. She stumbled backwards and fell painfully to the floor with her arms beneath her. She looked fearfully up at him, what was this?

He raised her back to her feet with magic. His eyes flicked to hers as he stretched his wand towards her throat. She wanted to step back again but his malicious eyes had her frozen to the spot. He suddenly whipped the tip of his wand up to land on her chin, causing her to gasp and give a startled squeak. The predatory grin he gave in response threatened to make her repeat it, but she quickly averted her gaze and looked warily down at his wand.

He began to trace a slow, torturous line down her throat. Instead of the searing pain Karma expected, though, she felt a warm soothing sensation and realised that Lord Voldemort was _healing_ her. She looked back up to his face to find that he was concentrating his gaze on the path of his wand.

When the task was finished he swept his wand away in a pulling motion causing Karma to lurch forward as her hands were unclenched. She raised her head to find him standing a few paces away with his back to her.

"You must know what I want of you tonight, Karma."

Without warning he whipped around and threw Karma's wand at her. She caught it awkwardly and clutched it to her chest. She blinked and looked dumbly down at it.

"Take me to your ancestral home," he had somehow materialised next to her and was whispering sharply in her ear. "Do it now!"

She turned, wide-eyed, in the direction of his voice.

"But if I go beyond..."

"If you begin disapparating to the right place I will dissolve the vow as we leave," he hissed with menace. "And if you try to go anywhere else I will not and you will die."

"But, a fraction of a second, is it possible?" Karma squeaked, terrified.

"Trust me, Karma," he reassured mockingly. "I don't want you dead and you don't want to die, so we will reach our destination without incident, now go."

She stared ahead of her, trying to regain focus. She could see no real way out of this so she tightened her grip on her wand and reluctantly clutched Voldemort's left arm, causing him to chuckle slightly and lock her hand in a death grip with his own. That could complicate things, she thought, her head clearing for the first time since being strangled.

She closed her eyes...

And made that turn...


	18. Richard

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

Once she had completed the disapparation, Karma realised that she had her eyes closed tight. The sound of a sad breeze whistling through trees gave her reason to believe that she was still alive, and so she slowly raised her eyelids to find herself standing within the avenue of trees and a short distance away from the house that she once called home. She could see the front door clearly and, as if in a nightmare, it was open slightly. She had left it shut... She was sure...

"This place is still in mourning," she said conversationally, noting the lonely look of the house and the wild, sinister look of the trees that had once cheerfully swayed in waves of welcome each time she returned home. "Something isn't right."

She was becoming seriously spooked and almost glad that she wasn't here alone. She looked up at Voldemort, who, she noticed, was maintaining his grip on her hand, to find him sneering down at her in his usual superior way.

"Twitchy, aren't you Karma? Could it be that you're more afraid of him than me?" she looked away and he smiled slightly. "How interesting."

"He's dead," said Karma decisively.

"Check inside," ordered Voldemort, releasing her hand and pointing his wand at her back as she stepped forward.

Karma approached the door slowly, considering her options. She decided it was pointless to attempt escape and/or duel with Voldemort. Plus she genuinely wanted to investigate the grim-looking house that loomed up before her. It was high time she faced up to the past.

She reached the door and tentatively rested one hand on it, the other grasping her wand tightly. She pushed the door hard and thrust her wand into the darkness beyond.

"_Lumos!"_

In a way she was expecting it, but the sight of the empty floor of the foyer still chilled her to the core. Even the pearls were gone, she noted with a frown.

She stumbled forward and frantically swept her wandlight left, right and ahead up the stairs. The door slammed shut behind her just before she caught a glimpse of someone's feet on the stairs. In a flash she was disarmed and all became deathly dark. She flew at the door in panic.

"My Lord! Lord Voldemort! Help me, please!" She shouted desperately at the door.

"My Lord? You never even called _me _that," came an angry, dangerous voice from behind her.

She turned and flattened her back against the wall, staring wide-eyed into the darkness.

"What happened to you? Why are you here?" Karma asked, falteringly.

Silence...

A hand reached out and found her side. She shoved her palms forward but found only air. She stumbled forward into the blackness, losing the door. She turned and stretched her hands forward in an attempt to fumble her way back, but her palms collided with a man's chest. Strong hands grasped her wrists before she could whip them away.

"Karma..." there was that familiar, raspy whisper.

"Richard!" Karma gasped, tugging fruitlessly on her arms. "Why aren't you dead?"

She heard a dark chuckle, and suddenly she was pulled into a crushing embrace. Her arms were squashed to his chest as he clenched her shoulders in an iron grip. She squirmed, he laughed.

"You thought I could be killed as easily as that?"

Karma stayed silent. She felt one hand leave her shoulder and jerked away from him. He held on to her upper arm as he illuminated the room with his wand. Reluctantly she looked him in the face. His brown eyes burned with a dark fire, and she could feel the evil essence of his magic.

He pulled a necklace of pearls from a pocket in his robes.

"You always had good senses," drawled Richard. "What do you think of these?"

Karma's eyes went wide and she gagged at the strength of the curse on the pearls.

"They're for you," he said with a grotesque smile. "To make you see things my way."

He would enslave me, with mother's pearls...

He let her go as she fell to her knees, sickened by the vile object. And then he was behind her, holding the pearls in front of her, lowering them down to her neck...

There was an almighty crash and splinters of wood imploded into the foyer, one of them flew past Karma's ear and stabbed Richard in the shoulder, causing him to drop the necklace. As it fell it touched Karma's arm, causing her to fly upwards.

Voldemort, having finally broken through Richard's spell on the door, looked up to see Karma suspended in the air; arms outstretched and legs dangling limply. Her eyes had rolled back so that only the white was visible and her mouth gaped open in a silent scream. The necklace was moving of its own accord to clasp itself around her neck.

Voldemort raised his wand to break the spell, but was forced to shield himself instead. He looked for his attacker and saw the man he had seen in Karma's memories. He had a powerful presence.

"Voldemort? Why was Karma with you?"

"I intend to make use of her. What is that curse?" He asked, noticing that the pearls were getting dangerously close to their goal.

"It will make her mine, forever," he replied with a deranged smirk.

"Unfortunately she belongs to me," stated Voldemort.

Richard roared and leapt forward, shooting a torrent of red fire from his wand at Voldemort, who felt the blazing heat and force of it hard against his shield charm. He watched, impressed, as the fire ricocheted off the shield and reformed into a great, fiery serpent. Richard's eyes blazed and he looked quite transfixed as he threw his arms about in great waving motions to direct the snake towards the stairs, which it proceeded to consume.

The entrance hall filled with smoke and falling debris of burning wood as the serpent-spell thrashed around and grew larger and more powerful. It attacked again in a rush of crackling flame, and this time Voldemort's shield charm collapsed under its power. Richard let out a demented howl of victory. There was a whip-like crack and the flame-creature began to thrash about. It was dispersed, and as the charred chunks of wood hit the ground and the ash settled Voldemort was revealed; panting but unharmed.

"You are powerful, I admit it," spoke Voldemort. "But your skill is inferior to mine. Stop now, release Karma, and I will let you live. Join me."

Richard's only reply was a low growl as he raised his wand once more. The floor began to tremble and there was a loud creak as the burning house showed signs of collapsing. The ash and embers of the fiery serpent reformed into the shape of a dragon. Voldemort took a sideways glance at Karma, the necklace was almost clasped about her neck, only a second more and the curse would take full effect. Breaking the curse now would take time, and he couldn't do it whilst fending off Richard, so instead he surrounded Karma in a time-freeze bubble. It wouldn't last long, but he was confident it would give him enough time to finish off Richard.

Richard used the dragon's tail, which was made up of the larger embers, to lock Voldemort in place while the ashes were directed down his throat, with the intention of suffocation. Voldemort gagged as the hot ash filled his lungs before, with considerable difficulty, he disapparated away. Richard span on the spot and searched frantically for his adversary, as the house gave a lurch and the left-side ceiling collapsed with a crash.

Momentarily distracted by this, Richard only just heard his opponent behind him in time to spin and face him before being quickly disarmed. Voldemort whipped forward and aimed his wand at Richard's heart.

"Answer me!" he hissed.

Richard turned towards Karma and banished the time bubble with a wave of his hand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort turned quickly from his dead opponent to find Karma looking at him with dead eyes, the necklace latched around her neck. When she spotted Richard lying dead on the ground, she gave an ethereal shriek and reached out one hand towards him. Voldemort knew he must act quickly so as not to lose Karma too. He flourished his wand in a whip-like motion and with a loud crack the necklace was snapped and cast aside.

Karma fell into a dead faint.

Voldemort caught her and disapparated directly back to her room. He laid her cold, motionless form on the bed and summoned Severus.

Severus arrived quickly, followed, Voldemort was annoyed to see, by Lucius.

"I did not summon you, Lucius."

"I am sorry, my Lord. May I stay, my Lord?" he asked, his eyes darting back and forth from Karma's deathly pale face.

"Assist Severus."

"Yes, my Lord."

Severus was examining Karma, his face focused and emotionless. He reeled off a list of ingredients and equipment to Lucius who disapparated straight away.

"What do you think, Severus?"

"It looks bad, really bad," Severus looked up impassively. "I don't think she's going to make it."

**It feels good to be writing again! I hope you're still enjoying this one! **


	19. Delirium

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

**Right, it's been just over two and a half years since I first published this story, and so it's high time I brought it to a conclusion. I have reread all my chapters and all the fantastic reviews, which I am very grateful for, and which have spurred me on to finish what I started! At long last my battle against writer's block is won and I will publish the grand finale on Boxing Day.**

Lucius returned to Karma's room to find Snape alone with her lifeless form. The bed had been moved down the steps so it was closer to the fire, which crackled solemnly through the gloomy quiet. Severus was hovering over her; one hand pointing his wand at her head, the other resting on her forehead as he chanted under his breath. He finished his ministrations and looked up as Lucius descended the steps, his arms laden with the supplies. He looked into Lucius' eyes, which were burning with concern and overshadowed by an intensely anxious frown. His own face was impassive; he was always calm and poised when facing a challenge such as this.

"How is she? Have you made any progress?" asked Lucius urgently.

"I've had to restart her heart twice," replied Snape icily. "It seems her spirit has lost the will to live."

Lucius dropped the implements and ingredients and hurried to Karma's side. Snape cursed and enchanted the objects to hover just in time. He quickly began to assemble the cauldron and other items on the hearth as Lucius held Karma's cold, deadened hand and whispered softly to her.

"Karma? Can you hear me?"

There was no movement. Lucius tentatively bent down to kiss her.

"Keep an eye on her pulse," ordered Snape, cutting him off. "And gestures of affection may be fatal. The desired effect of the curse was of course to bind her to one person, so she is likely to be hostile to all others."

"Hostile...but alive! If it would bring her back to life, I would willingly sacrifice..."

"It would not 'bring her back to life', Lucius" drawled Snape impatiently. "More likely she would simply kill you, return to this state and then die anyway."

"SHE IS NOT GOING TO DIE!"

"Look, Lucius, if you want to be useful just keep talking at her," he said snidely. "Maybe it'll get through on some level. But DON'T mention Richard whatever you do."

Lucius was fuming, at both Richard and Snape, but he continued whispering sweet nothings at Karma while Snape prepared a restorative potion.

"I'll help you, when you recover... I'll help you defeat the Dark Lord. You'll be safe then. And then...I will marry you Karma!"

His voice rose slightly at the end, causing Snape to overhear.

"I doubt that will tempt her to wake up," he muttered.

Lucius snarled and raised his wand at Snape, who gave him a look of sarcastic pity before continuing with his work.

"My potion is almost complete," he announced.

"Thank goodness," commented Lucius, pocketing his wand and returning to his usual haughty tone.

_**Meanwhile, deep in Karma's subconsciousness...**_

"_He will...help me? He wants to help... Voldemort... The prophecy... I must...must tell him..."_

"Lucius!" called Karma in a feeble groan, she coughed and spluttered a little.

Her eyelids felt heavy, gummy and reluctant as she slowly peeled them open. She saw a robed arm through the haze and reached for it with her own, which also felt heavy and shook. She grasped the robe weakly with her hand and tried to move her head so she could see his face, but her head was leaden and her neck burned in pain with any slight movement. She winced.

"Lucius, I must tell you... I found...a prophecy. It was about...me and Voldemort," she spoke with difficulty.

"Karma!" called the voice of Lucius.

Confusingly, this voice came from a different direction to the arm she was holding on to.

"Silence!" hissed the voice directly above her. "Severus, give her the rest."

A dull sense of panic began to overcome her and she choked down the rest of the potion, each cough sending a spasm of pain through her neck. She winced and cried out. Her eyes, which were beginning to focus, were glazed with tears of pain. She blinked them away and looked up to see Voldemort staring intently down at her.

"Legilimens"

Voldemort easily broke through the defences around her memory of the prophecy and once again she saw the Seer deliver his message in her office. As Voldemort pulled away and began hissing orders at Snape and Lucius, Karma thanked her lucky stars that she had conserved the two memories separately. Her post-prophecy research had been overlooked by Voldemort's specific probing.

Karma stirred. Her eyes flicked open and closed again. She felt someone draw a needle from her arm. She shifted uncomfortably. Her limbs felt lighter now, but her neck still burned. She opened her eyes again, her mind gradually clearing as she saw Snape's impassive face looking down at her. Her eyes widened further.

"Where'd Voldemort go?!" she asked with as much urgency as she could, her voice still coming out slightly slurred.

She tried to sit up but failed and slumped back down again.

"Try not to over-exert yourself, Karma."

"But Voldemort...I told him about the... he was here a minute ago!" she replied incoherently.

"Karma, you've been in a minor coma for three months."

"What...three months?" Karma muttered, attempting to frown away the haze in her brain.

Her stomach growled.

"I've been keeping you alive, but now you're awake you'll need real food. Try to sit up."

Karma did so, with help, and Severus offered her some soup.

"I didn't know you were a nurse as well as a potions master," she quipped.

Severus made a small noise of indignation and sat in a chair at her bedside.

"It must be horrible for you to have to look after me," she wondered aloud.

"Why do you say that?"

Karma frowned at the question and then replied simply;

"Because you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Roxanne," sighed Severus.

Karma turned to face him with curiousity.

"But, you loved Lily. And I...toyed with you. I made you miserable."

"I love Lily, yes," began Severus, his voice braking slightly. "But I lost her, so I used you. I just picked the wrong person to use."

Karma looked away again, and then smiled.

"It's a family belief that members of the Ravenclaw line, especially females, always inspire strong romantic feelings in others," she said. "If that makes you feel any better."

Snape actually chuckled at this.

"Will you summon Voldemort now that I'm awake?" asked Karma.

"He wants to meet with you only when you're fully recovered," replied Severus. "Which should take a few days."

Over the next few days Karma rather enjoyed being on friendly terms with Severus and, growing to trust him and realising where his true allegiances lay, she confided in him about the prophecy. He in turn told her of Voldemort's recent activities in search of the Elder Wand, and of his own killing of Dumbledore.

"That's so cruel!" she exclaimed, horrified. "How could he ask you to do such a thing?"

"It was the least I owed to him," replied Severus gloomily.

"But anyway, if Voldemort believes the Elder Wand will defeat Harry, then surely he doesn't need my help?"

"He clearly saw that the prophecy indicated he would definitely fail without your help," Severus reminded her.

"Of course, and it said he would have to be whole," muttered Karma, rubbing her temples.

She heard the door open and looked round to find Voldemort striding in.

"Is she ready, Severus?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Follow me, Karma."

Karma began to follow him out and glanced back at Severus. He mouthed 'good luck' at her, almost causing her to giggle. As soon as they were outside the room, Voldemort grabbed her wrist and disapparated her into blackness.

Voldemort lit a lamp that hung from the ceiling, and from its dim light Karma could make out that they were in a stone cellar of some sort. It was doorless, windowless and contained no furniture. The walls were thick with espionage-resistant charms and the air was tinged with an anti-disapparation charm.

"So, Karma, what did you think of this prophecy when you first heard it?"

"My Lord?"

"What solutions to its riddle sprang to mind?" he hissed impatiently.

"I could think of only one solution," she lied, convincingly thanks to Severus' occlumency lessons.

She showed him the memory of the first part of her research, having hidden the memory of the book of dark magic firmly away.

"You cannot defeat Harry Potter with a splintered soul my Lord."

"And this is the only solution?" hissed Voldemort, clearly disgusted. "We fall in love and share remorse for my deeds together, with the possibility of death for both or either party?"

"You're right, its ridiculous," said Karma, turning away to hide a snigger. "But, yes, that's what the prophecy is indicating."

"So then...how do we fall in love?" asked Voldemort in a taunting whisper.

Karma's eyes widened.

_**Later...**_

"Tell him, Karma," hissed Voldemort.

Karma looked blankly up at Lucius, the light of the fire in her room dancing over her glassy eyes.

"I don't love you Lucius, I'm in love with the Dark Lord."

"This is ridiculous!" spat Lucius incredulously. "May I administer some veritaserum, my Lord?"

"Go ahead," replied Voldemort, himself curious.

Lucius fumbled around in Snape's case until he drew out a small bottle of the clear liquid and gave it to Karma, who took a small swig and handed it back. He left a few moments for it to take effect, and then questioned her.

"Do you love me, Karma?"

"No."

Lucius' eyes went wide in shock and hurt.

"And, do you love...the Dark Lord?" he asked falteringly.

"Yes."

**Merry Christmas!**


	20. Destiny

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miss K Rochester and any other original characters not from the Harry Potter series. All characters and plot from the Harry Potter series belong to J K Rowling.**

**SPOILER WARNING: if you haven't read all the books by now (or seen all the films, which isn't yet possible) go and do it and then come back!**

**Wow, this is the last chapter! I can count on one hand the amount of written stories I've actually managed to finish in my lifetime so far, and this is certainly the longest. Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed it, and I hope you like the final entry!**

"My Lord! What in the world have you done to her?!" cried Lucius, his patience snapping.

"Silence Lucius!" demanded Voldemort crossly. "_Crucio!_"

Karma watched stonily as Lucius crumpled before her. Love could indeed be transient and cruel, she observed. But she knew Lucius would love _her_ forever, no matter what.

Voldemort led her back to his study, where they once more seated themselves on the couch. As Karma looked into Voldemort's eyes, which were alight with curiosity, she knew she was now in the most difficult and dangerous position of her entire life.

"So, Karma. It appears that you are 'in love' with me. How do you suppose I return the favour?" asked Voldemort, his voice both suspicious and mocking. "I, who am incapable of love."

Karma could barely stomach the task ahead, let alone guess its outcome. She concentrated hard on her natural, ancestral magic and shoved aside the instinctual fear that threatened to send her running for the door.

"No-one is incapable of love, my Lord," she replied, her tone soft and steady.

As Karma looked at him and said this, Voldemort experienced a strange, alien feeling. As all that he stood for and all that he'd done rejected it, the resulting conflict made him feel so wretched and sick inside that he almost gagged. Karma saw the change from inflicted to livid occur in his eyes and flinched inside. Just managing to maintain her facade, she knew she must act quickly before Voldemort could retaliate.

"Kiss me, my Lord," she said, leaning towards him.

At her words she saw Voldemort's anger change to confusion and indecision. He had lost all control of the situation, which was alien enough in itself, but now he was almost overcome with the strange feeling he had never felt before. He felt somehow weak and not himself. And the sudden softness he felt for Karma intensified a thousand fold when her lips touched his.

Karma, expecting a repeat of the rough and painful kiss she had experienced when she was first captured, was astonished when Voldemort began to kiss back. His thin lips were gentle and tentative, and it felt only too easy to encourage them with her own. When he tilted his head to deepen the kiss and she opened her mouth in acceptance, the fireworks started. She felt his left arm snake round her waist to pull her into a loving embrace as his other hand reached up to run through her hair and hold the back of her head.

She in turn took hold of his shoulders before linking her arms round his neck. A tear came to her eye, as she could feel the remaining humanity inside him reaching out to her in its longing for human affection. If only she could extract it and save it. If only she could go back in time and turn Tom Riddle away from his horrific fate. So many lives would be saved, along with his soul...

The taste of salt brought Voldemort to his senses. He snapped his head back, settling back into his usual persona. As he did so, Karma looked at his hardening eyes and realised she was shaking, with tears pouring down her face. She looked and felt truly distraught.

"What is it Karma?" asked Voldemort, his voice a harsh and deadly whisper. "What have you seen with those senses of yours?"

Karma stared dumbly, at a loss for a reply.

"My death by remorse, perhaps? Have you sensed that if I attempt such a feat I will not survive, even with your help?" he demanded angrily.

"I...I believe you are strong enough..."

"LIAR!"

With a swipe of his wand Karma was knocked to floor and sent sprawling. She heard her wand roll away and sat up gingerly. She peered up, wide-eyed at Voldemort who swept over to stand above her, wand outstretched.

"No doubt this prophecy was an invention of yours, a fabricated memory to trick me into killing myself," said Voldemort, his tone dangerously low. "You have deceived the Dark Lord, and for that you must die!"

As he raised his wand, Karma felt herself frozen in fear. Voldemort paused, his wand held ready, the words of the death curse on his lips. His feeling of triumph at the sight of Karma's terrified form beneath him was for a moment taken over and replaced by that strange softness. His wand hand lowered slightly.

"What is this weakness?" he asked, frustrated.

"It is love," replied Karma simply, equally bewildered.

Voldemort snarled and whipped his wand towards Karma's right arm, which snapped in two places and began to turn black. She shrieked and was thrown back from the impact of the curse. She landed hard on her broken arm and screamed out again, eyes streaming in agony. She forcefully blinked away the tears and looked around. Miraculously her wand was lying only a foot or so away. She reached for it and grasped it in her left hand, only for Voldemort's foot to step down on it.

"The next time I see you, I will kill you," he said, before raising his foot and letting her go.

Karma rolled over and disapparated.

She arrived, gasping and panting, face down on a patch of wet grass. She shifted herself very carefully onto her back, wincing whenever she caught her right arm. She reluctantly examined it to see that the skin was blackened and beginning to crack. The pain of it was unbelievable, so much so that it filled her head, banishing all memory and thoughts. She acknowledged nothing of her surroundings except for the stormy sky above, before falling unconscious.

She saw Severus tending to his cauldron... and rubbing ointment on her arm. She heard him chanting...

She came to in a dark place. There was a cold, whistling wind, but she could feel the heat of a fire nearby. She sat up slowly, feeling very groggy. She looked at her arm, which had returned to normal except for a few whitish scars. There was no pain, so she guessed she was drugged.

Next she noticed Severus, who was walking in a wide circle around her, muttering incantations under his breath.

"Severus?" called Karma, croakily.

He ignored her until his spellwork was complete. He stayed standing outside the circle and turned his attention to her.

"What are you doing? Where is this? How did you find me?" asked Karma.

"I found you by the lake in the grounds of Voldemort's HQ and this is a small cave to the North of Hogsmeade," replied Severus impassively. "I was putting up a barrier around you so that you will remain undetected by Voldemort."

"Voldemort isn't looking for me this time Severus..."

"I know," he interrupted. "I looked at your memories whilst I was healing you."

"So why..."

"He may change his mind. Plus, the barrier will also prevent you from leaving, which removes the possibility of you running across him."

As Karma's magical senses began to reawaken, the strength and nature of the barrier became apparent.

"But, Severus, this is a cursed barrier, one that will only fade upon the death of the caster! Do you mean to die?!"

"As Dumbledore's killer, I am the new master of the Elder Wand. Voldemort will kill me once he gets his hands on it," replied Severus, emotionless.

"No! Severus don't! Stay here! Hide yourself!"

"I can't run away from this Karma. If I stay here Voldemort will find me, and through me he will find you. It is unnecessary for both of us to die."

"But...if Voldemort is defeated before..."

"If you killed him, the Unbreakable Vow would kill you."

"I don't care!" declared Karma, causing Severus to raise a sardonic eyebrow at her. "You deserve to be saved, you're the hero of this story, not me! You've helped more than anyone to bring about the Dark Lord's demise!"

"Don't forget your own part in all this, Karma. You're the one who made Voldemort reject the prophecy and ensure his own downfall."

"I will not stand by and let you walk to your doom!" protested Karma passionately.

"Yes, you will," replied Severus sternly.

She jumped to her feet and ran at Severus, hands outstretched towards him. He stood stock still, face unmoved as first her hands and then her body collided with the invisible barrier just in front of him and she was knocked back onto the floor. She leapt up and stood in front of him. She rested one hand on the barrier between them and looked pleadingly up into the unfathomable depths of his onyx eyes.

"Please, Severus...don't go," she begged tearfully.

"Goodbye, Roxanne," said Severus, his eyes swimming with emotion.

He turned and disappeared.

Karma stumbled backwards. As the realisation hit her with crushing finality that she would never see him again, she choked on her misery, her body wracked with the force of her sobs. She curled up by the fire, and eventually cried herself to sleep.

When Karma woke up, the early morning light had filled the cave. The enchanted fire was still burning and she could still feel the barrier around her. Severus was still alive. Realising this with relief, her thoughts turned to Lucius. Her stomach twisted with guilt as she remembered what Voldemort had made her do to prove her 'love' for him.

_**Flashback...**_

"...this is the only solution?" hissed Voldemort, clearly disgusted. "We fall in love and share remorse for my deeds together, with the possibility of death for both or either party?"

"You're right, it's ridiculous," said Karma, turning away to hide a snigger. "But, yes, that's what the prophecy is indicating."

"So then...how do we fall in love?" asked Voldemort in a taunting whisper.

Karma's eyes widened. A prophecy was a prophecy after all, but she was still surprised he was taking it seriously. She rearranged her features and turned to face him. Here goes...

"Well, my Lord, _I _am already in love with _you_," she told him, with difficulty.

Voldemort merely laughed. Karma had to admit she had sounded ridiculous.

"It's true!" she insisted desperately. "Test me any way you like."

Voldemort responded to this challenge with a cruel, mischievous smile that made Karma feel a lot less brave than when she had said it. He stepped towards her and she immediately guessed what was coming. As his face neared hers she stood firm and braced herself.

"_God, I've got to pretend to enjoy it," she thought as he bent down to kiss her._

Before their lips could touch, however, Karma was blasted backwards and her back collided against the stone wall with a sickening crunch. Instead of sliding down the wall, her body rose in puppet-like fashion to stand back up. Voldemort watched curiously as Karma's head raised itself to look at him. He drew his wand when he saw her eyes, which appeared to be burning with black flames. This was obviously the work of Richard's curse.

Karma raised her wand and began speaking the killing curse, but was cut off by Voldemort, who used the same whip-like wand motion as before to stop the curse. Karma's eyes returned to normal, and she stumbled back to lean against the wall. She was out of it for a few minutes before her eyes began to focus on Voldemort.

"If Richard's magic sees me as a threat then maybe you are telling the truth," said Voldemort, sounding slightly amused. "Come here, I have another test for you."

Karma stepped groggily forward and took his arm, whereupon he transported them back to her room. Severus was still there, and as they came in the door he was just finished closing up his bag of ingredients. Karma discreetly tapped her temple. Severus saw the signal and quickly looked into her mind at what had happened. Voldemort stepped forward.

"Severus, please leave us, and fetch Lucius," he ordered.

With one last glance at his case, Severus gave a small smile and swept out of the room.

_**End of flashback...**_

Karma sighed, she had a lot to tell Lucius when she found him. At least she didn't have to worry about the curse anymore, now that Voldemort had broken it.

Later in the day, after many failed attempts to break free, Karma slumped down in front of the fire. She stared into the dancing flames, grateful for every second of their warmth and life. The flames suddenly blew violently sideways, as if caught in a gale. Karma moved her body to block the gale, knowing full well that there was no wind in the cave. The flames grew smaller and flickered feebly. Silent tears made tracks down Karma's face. She sheltered the fire with her palms and blew gently on it, as if keeping the fire alive would save Severus. The fire decreased to a single flame, which became a spark, which died. The single, thin line of smoke was cut off, rose and dispersed into the air. Karma felt the barrier fail.

Karma's palms balled into fists, she stood slowly and disapparated from the cave.

The battle at Hogwarts was over. Lucius had ensured that Draco was alright and Narcissa had taken him home. Lucius had told them he would stay a bit longer and join them later. He was now heading toward the Forbidden Forest at a leisurely pace, worrying about what had become of Karma.

Karma arrived at the walls of Hogwarts with a twinge of nostalgia taken over at once by concern. The castle itself was damaged and the building and the surrounding area reeked of death and, worst of all, young blood spilt. She peered through a window of the great hall and looked with dismay upon the mourning scene.

A sudden fear that Lucius' body could also be lying in there caused her to pelt round the side of the building towards the front doors. Luckily, as she was coming up to the corner she caught a flash of white-blond hair through the deepening twilight as Lucius disappeared into the forest below. She ran joyfully down the hill, lighting her wand as she went, before crashing into the undergrowth.

"Lucius! Lucius!" she called, gleefully.

She saw his wand light change direction. She squinted as he shined it at her face.

"Karma? Is that really you?" asked Lucius as he headed towards her, his voice rising with excitement.

"Yes!" she replied, rushing forward to meet him.

She saw one flash of his relieved and grinning face before she was gathered up into a tight bear hug. Lucius put her down and examined her face again. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her skin was even paler than usual and the dark, circular bruising left by the cursed pearl necklace had not improved.

"You look awful Karma," he observed, and then guided her over to sit on an old, fallen tree trunk. "Talk. Now."

Karma smiled and tapped her wand. The light from the tip detached itself and became an orb, which floated up to hover above their heads. Lucius did the same, and his orb floated up to hover near Karma's.

"What happened with Voldemort?" asked Lucius.

"Nothing," replied Karma, causing Lucius to raise his eyebrow. "I scared him off."

"Seriously, Karma," he insisted, his tone slightly strained.

She could see in his face that this had been eating away at him. She felt guilty.

"Oh, Lucius!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so sorry I had to do that to you, but I had to! You see..."

Night had fallen, and the forest was alive with noises by the time Karma had explained everything.

"I just can't believe I almost made the Dark Lord fall in love with me. No wonder I've got you firmly under my spell!" said Karma.

"But you cannot resist my charms either," taunted Lucius, voice low.

He leaned in as if to kiss her, then pulled away as a thought occurred to him, causing Karma to pout in disappointment.

"But what about the veritaserum? How did you foil it?" asked Lucius.

"I didn't. Severus must have switched it with water beforehand."

"So it seems he wasn't such a slimeball after all," commented Lucius.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," laughed Karma.

Her head drooped and she sighed sadly.

"You still have me, Karma," said Lucius, raising her chin with his hand.

Karma looked up at his face. He seemed intensely worried about something.

"Did you love him?"

Stupid man.

"He...he was my friend," answered Karma, voice breaking.

She impatiently wiped the tears away. Lucius put his arm over her shoulder. She had cried over Severus enough. And Lucius was here with her, with no Dark Lord to come between them.

"It's all over now Lucius. You've got me all to yourself."

He grinned and hauled her onto his lap.

"Does that mean you'll marry me this time?" he asked, his velvety voice hopeful as he pulled a ring box out of a pocket in his robes.

She sniffed and cuddled up to him, grinning as he opened the box to reveal the same ring he first proposed to her with. It had lost none of its sparkle and she was just as thrilled to see it as before.

"Ask me properly, and I'll consider it," she teased.

He shook his head and sat her down on the log, himself turning to kneel down in front of her, holding the ring out towards her.

"Karma Rochester, will you, in the knowledge that I am a divorced man, consent to be my wife?"

"Yes, Lucius Malfoy, I will," replied Karma.

She offered Lucius her left hand and he slid the ring on her ring finger. Karma stood up suddenly, Lucius followed. She ripped the ring off with agitated movements and threw it to the ground.

"Whatever's the matter?!" asked Lucius.

Karma raised her head and Lucius recoiled as he saw her burning eyes. Lucius raised his hands to hold her shoulders and was pushed aside. He snatched up the ring before turning to face Karma.

"Richard!" he growled, drawing out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!"

Lucius' wand went flying. Karma raised her wand again. Lucius smoothed out the anger from his face with difficulty, and then stepped forward with confidence.

"You can't kill me, Karma," he spoke, soothingly.

"Avada..."

He stepped closer.

"Ava..."

Karma huddled over and began to shake. She stumbled backwards until she hit a tree, which she began to slide down, crumpling towards the floor.

Lucius grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up. He held her head with both hands and forced her to look at him.

"I love you, Karma!"

He kissed her possessively. Karma thrashed and the curse pushed him away, and he pushed back, forcing Karma back against the tree. Karma became still. Her eyes closed.

"I'm not going to let you go, Karma," said Lucius, voice shaking. "Not now."

He kissed her again, this time softly. He pulled away, the soft wand light showing him Karma's pale, motionless face. Tears threatened to fall as he gently shook her limp body.

After a few eternal seconds, the scar around her neck vanished, and her body sagged as if a weight had been lifted. Her face became peaceful.

Lucius was frozen in place. His breath blew clouds over Karma's face. She was not dead. He would not check her pulse. There was no need. Absolutely no need.

"Karma?"

He shook her slightly again. Her head lolled forward under his chin. He hastily caught it and lifted it back up to reveal Karma grinning, eyes wide open.

"Did I have you worried?" she asked, and giggled.

Her giggling was cut off as Lucius kissed her with intense relief and passion.

"Oh, Karma," he growled. "I really could kill you sometimes! Get this ring on right now!"

**Ta-da! Please review and tell me if you liked this one! Oh, and tell me whether or not you'd be interested in a prequel!**


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